The spirit of democracy. [volume] (Woodsfield, Ohio) 1844-1994, 1883-03-06
n. T. World. ist Inst.
The TaflK Farce

tnere WdS never more traGltaf farce
played in tie world than that of which
We are ROW seeing the closiGg sclee Il,
Washington. For the past fifteen years
or more--eser since the end di the war
in facte-onr tnohs.rous tariff has been
| defended upon the sole eround that We
tnssded the revenue 1t yielded Thia de
fense vas In Itself absurd prohihitory
duties are levied not 10 collect revenue
but to prevent the collection of revenue
and very large proportion OF. the du
tiss levied under the war tariff were pro-
h!bitorY. Tho need OF revenue was an
Argument for rev niue tariff and against
q protective tariff, for, as the World has
often pointed out, exactly In so far as a
tariff is protective it is not tariff for
revenue. Nevertheless, a tariff compii-
Gated by projections has been for all these
years kept in force by tho pretext that
the Government needed the revenue it
Yielded Last year this pretexs failed
The revenue was hundred millions 10
excess OF the real needs OF the Govern,
ment, and half that amount in excess OF
what the most p-'figate C,ngress that
ever safe could spend The needless.
ness of the revenue forced the appoint.
ment of the Tariff Commission, which
the President turned into sham This
body so far yielded to the popular de-
msnd as to make pretense OF reducing
the duties, but upon examination it was
found that the pretense was false. The
free list was not enlarged; duties which
hal been prohibitory remained prohib-
tory, and duties which had admitted OF
competition remained prohibitory. The
pretense was shown to be juggle and
= cheat.
Not conten. even with this scandalous
measure the House Committee OF Ways
and Means proceeded TO reduce the reve-
nue., not by enIarging tue free list but by
enIarging the list OF articles practically
prohibited So that Mr.. Carlisle was
within the fact when he said that while
the bill diminished the revenue 1t increas-
ed the public burdens.
II is this bill that the House has now
sent to q committee OF conference with
instructions to insist on It's substitution
for the Senate bill. It is not 10 he won
dered at that self-respec!ing members OF
the House should decline service on
committee 80 constituted aud so instruct,
ed. NJ. Randall, the difficulties Of
whose position are manifest and would
have appealed more strongly to the con.
sideration OF his fe'lo~-Dcmocrat. il he
bad not invited them oy accepting .
place on the Committee OF Wavs and
Means, where ho must oppose either bis
party or his constituency, took the only
course open to MIN in declining service
on the conference committee. Mr.. Nor
rison and Mr.. Tucker. the other Demo.
cratic members of the Committee o.
Ways and Means. promptly follow we'd
him, and Mr.. Keifer will he forcei 10
Gil his Committee with Republicans and
protectionists.
1t was certain before that no tariff bill
which could pass this Congress would
be accepted by its successor a, settle.
mens OF the question, and there are
many Republicans OF the Northwest
who will scarcely be inclined to commit
themselves to MEASURE to which their
constituents are opposed and which they
know will not he allowed 10 stand. But
it has now by the headlnng action of the
protectionists in the House been made a
matter OF little const q renee whether or
not they bully the Senate into an agree
ment with their bill