New-York tribune., 1883-03-12
THE DFMoCsaTIC OUTLOOK.

II is an omen question whether with refer
ence 10 the Presidential campaign OF 1854
the Democrats are better or worse of for the
massage of the Tariff bill. So far as the Repu0-
licans are concerned, there is no doubt that
they stand absolutely better with the people
for having secured the passage of the bill !;
though il may always remain question
whether the leaving the subject open would not
have made them relatively stronger by furnish
ing their opponents the opportunity to blunder'
quarrel and go to pieces over 1t. lndepen-
IDENTIFY Of this consideration, however, II is mani
fest that the Republican party stands better
with the people to-day for having passed the
bill han il would had the grand strategy
been adopted, which was favored Ivy some, OF
leaving the subject as a stumbling block for
the incoming Democratic Congress. For hard
AZ il is for the average politician and even the
average Congressman to understand IN
nevertheless true that the people like manly
and straightforward dealing great deal better
than sharp practice and subtlety. They NAV I've
caioled and hoodwinked for the moment hui
they presently see through IT all and IN the cno
reach lust conclusions. Domagogy is sure to
be found out-nothing surer-and when found
out is powerless. What people know about the
tariff legislation of the last Congress Is that the
Repuhlicans went about il in n buslness-nke
way, not as though they were laying TAPS Tor
AN adversary, but as If they were honestly en-
deayorine to do the work they we're paid to do
The Republicans accordingly pass ont of CON
| tvol Of the House, as has been observed hereto
| fore. with record of which they need not be
| ashamed That they were II irconsiderate and
| reckless during the first session of the last Con
| gress no ore pretends TO deny. That they re-
deemed the record DUNG the session just
closed We believe 10 he equally clear. They
| cleaned the docket of all tho issues that have
| been raised mn 70 the present moment aud they
can 90 10 the people with clean hands. No
| vital question remains open or unsettled. The
last Congress, weak and family as il was in
many respects, did tho party and the country
| great service in disposiDg Of the odds and ends
of disturbing questions in such a way that no
reasonable man can doubt that it was actu-
| atcd 10y siDcere purpose TO do justice and
| respond to the wishes OF the people. The
| Tariff bin just passed rs, Of course. in greater
or less degree an experiment, as all such bulls
must necessarily be. II wac a courageous act
on the part Of the Republican majority TO pass
il for in so dong they have hung up their work
| in the market place for criticism. 1t is some
| thing which none Of the three Democratic Con-
gresses since 1S74 dared do, although they
won't around it and pottcrcd over it and made
much ado about il all the time. A Democratic
| Congress will come in next December. IL Will
| find a new tariff in Opei alton, the creation OF a
| Republican Congress. and from present appear
ances nothing else upon which 1t can dnder-
! take to make fight The currency question
has been removed thank Heaven, from its mis-
| chievous meddhnQ; the questions arising out Of
reconstruction are gradually settling them
| selves, and il they were not, they would be
very dangerous for Democratic handling; the
matter OF Civil Service Reform, about which
our Democratic friends have made so much
pother, has been disposed Of by the passage Of
/ the PendletOn bill, and The tariff is the only
| thing they can hope to make capital from.
The GREAT question for the Democrats IN the
next Congress is what TO do with the tarif.
| They have nearly nine months in which to OBJ
| serve it's effect and find what fanlr they may
with its operation. They could not ask any
thing fairer. Had they been left to wrangle
over il they would have divided at the very
outset-and it is by no means certain they
will not even noW-and all hope OF their har-
monizing and uniting rpon Presidential can
didate and platform would have been at an
end. The Republicans with uncommon liber-
slity have set them up target. They may fire
at 1t for the next eighteen or twenty months
and make all the capital they can ont Of it fer
the Presidential election. The present outlook
furnishes them only this prospect. 1t is jnst
the fragment of sn issue over winch they have
any sort Of chance. And over this fragment
there is so much danger of dissensiOn and dvi-
sion that we question very much whether, with
all the opportunities that intervene, they will
dare touch 1t. Not more than three months
have elapsed since they seemed on the top of a
tidal wave. One session OF a Republican Con
grsss, and that Congress an uncommonly feeble