National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1884-03-22
He Scourges Them and Calls Them
Fools and Traitors
Although They May Possibly Not be Consciously
DisOyal"
An Explicit BilI OF Particulars VIII be
Demanded OF ProtectionIsts.

friends. 1t is cheerful reading for republi-
cans as we'll as democrats, and for that reason
| it is printed in full as follows:
| Tho pretense that, in demanding party
! organization and concert of action upon the
measure of tariff reform reported to tho house
| by the unanimous voto Of the democratic
members Of the ways and meaus committee,
Mr. Carlisle and Mr.. Morrison are seeking
to "bul ldoze' anybody is q characteristic
feature Of the bombastic game which mere
corporal's guard Of protectionists arc attompt.
ing to play in defiance of recognized demo.
cratic usage and established democratic au.
thority.
Either we have or VIC have
not democratic party. If we
have not, the sooner We know
1t tho better. If we have, it is full time its
accustomed methods should be invoked to de.
termine just where we stand and lust what
we shall do. To Mr.. Carlisle, as sneaker of
the house, and Mr.. Morrison, as chairman of
its revenue committee, leadership was en-
trusted upon the assembling of the present
session OF congress- They, more than any or
results of that leadership. its, consequences
Tor good or i'll will be visited upon
them. Nor were they chosen with.
out advisement. Tho election of the
one, which embraced the appointment of the
other was reached aftcr prolonged and elab.
Oia'e uinCuhslOu NOb uelnOCIat IN or out OF
congress but understood perfectly the mean
ing Of the issue of principle and policy which
was decided by the defeat of Mr.. Randall. 1t
was distinctly that there should be reduc-
tion of the tariff. 1t was distinctly that there
should be thorough exposition of the pur-
poses of the party touching that great and
absorbing public question to the end that,
when we come into national convention, we
may phrase the tariff plank in our national
platform under the instruction of tho debates
OF IN enlightened parliamentary battle,
wherein party lines were sharply drawn.
Straightway upon tho announcement of
the ways and means committee the enemies
OF revenue reform raised a cry that it had
been picked and packed in the interest of
some wild aud visionary scheme of free |
trade. Mr.. Morrison was described as an |
enthusiastic and ultra doctrinaire, who |
meant only mischief and thore was no ex- |
tremism short of the blowing up of tho |
factories and the burning down of the
custom houses which was not laid at
the door of the democratic majority. |
or course none of these evil prognostica-
tions have been realized With admirable
sense and judgment Mr. Morrison set himself
to the construction Of o bill which should
reduce taxation and to that extent reform
abuses. Neither he nor any of his colleagues
believed they could get all they wanted or
ali they ought to have; and so, in framing
his measure, Mr.. Morrison had, as practical
legislator, to determine how far in the right |
direction he should or should not go. The |
country has the fruit Of his wisdom and labor !
in aseries of propositions 80 simple, direct, and |
conservative that, upon their promulgation, |
they struck sort of terror in the republican
camp, where the more sagacious among the |
republican leaders foresaw that, instead of |
coping with novel plan of vision which |
they could stigmatize and misrepresent as a |
revolution, they would have to grapple with
a measure Of reduction and relief and tho
underlying principle Of which most of them
have at ono time and another committed
themselves. 1t has taken nearly four months
to bring us to this point, and although Mr..
Morrison has exercised the greatest patience
and moderstion-although he has gone the full
limit set upon reasonable ncession-although
he has exhausted all the resources of consul
tation and conciliation to reach some com
mon ground of agreement, his first move
toward q closing of ranks and an advance
upon the works of the enemy is met by
great flourish of trumpets in the hands of
squad of pr0tectionists, who, beaten and
batiied in the organization of the house,
hope to accomplish their purpose first by
destroying all party discipline, and then by
going over and acting with the republicans
There is nothing in the affected indignation
nor in the boasted spirit of independence
which marks the outcry of these gentlemen,
but brag and bluster designed to affect the
timorous and tho credulous Mr.. Randall Is
g fighter or he is nothing, He is natural
belligerent. He is dead in earnest, and SO
are his Pennsylvanians. Nor are they con.
sciously disoyal, They have worked them.
selves into the conceit that Pennsylvania is the
democratic party and that Ohiois its prophet
The truth is, that if we should build the
tariff as high as the moon, We should not
carry Pennsylvania; and il half rs high, we
should lose Ohio Bslce less obstinate and
less interested people see something of u
democratic party outside Of those states,
great and good as they are conceded to be-
Because they do so, and because they say
they do, Mr.. Randall and his followers put up
a perfectly insincere poor mouth and protest
that thoy are being read out of the party"
God forbid No man can read another out
Of his party if the other does not
out of his party, and in refusing to go into
caucus aud to abide by its decision upon a
vital issue, with the ulterior purpose OF act
ing with the republicans--if such, indeed, he
tho meaning of all this much ado-Mr
Randall and his friends will find themselves
the sole authors of the manifesto, or pronun-
ciamiento, or ultimatum or whatever else
they may please to call it, taking thom out
of the democratic and into the republican
party.
Equally specious with the talk about "read-
ing them out of the party" is Il cir pretense
that, II they go into caucus and the Morrison
bill is adopted as party question, they will
be cut of from amendment. Such theory
is absurd in the last degree. Mr., Morrison
invites amendment. No sane man would
bind himself to go blindfold into strange
Nor would any reasonable man ask
another to deny himself all rights Of volition
and discovery. But If there is to be
party organization every man must part
with portion of his individuality for the
good of the party To compass this, certain
specified modes of party organization have
been time.out- prescribed and prac-
ticed. Every man has, of course, right to
decline these. But each must do SO az his
cost.
Such in general way is the democratic
situation in the national capital at this mo-
ment. While Mr.. Morrison is seeking
and honestly to carry out the in
Btructions which the organization OF the
house gave him and by the usual appliances
Of honorable congressional practice to achieve
the will of the majority, Mr.. Randall is, by
all manner Of artifice seeking to take Mr.
MOrrisons measure of tariff reform out of
the hands of its friends and carry it over to
the camp of the enemy. He may mislead a
few week-kneed congressman, who, confused
by the feted atmosphere of tho house. fancy
there is no hereafter. But his design and his
plan of campaign are perfectly transparent
to the people, who are looking with jealous
understanding and clear eyes at all that is
passing in Washington, and who, If vaccila-
ti0n, cowardico, and ignorance in those they
sent here to represent them shall lose us tho
presidential election, will exact next fall of
every reCalcitrAnt a full and explicit bill of