The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1884-01-26
r5nriuontal Rednctlon.


weeks and nothing has been done In either
House, nor In committee we might auo'
towards a revision OF the tariff. This Is
good sign. In that II indicates pur'
pose 10 deliberate before acting Meni-
hers realize the fact that a Repub-
lIcau President Of the United states
and n Republican Senate will do all they
can 70 bring odium upon the Demo-
cratic party u all Of It's efforts shall end
only in an abortion instead OF in better
tariff; and they ought to realize also that
unless there Is a good prospect OF getting
the House bin through the Senate the
Democrats Of the House OF Repre-
senta,iyes would better let the tarili
alone A failure would furnish the Re-
publicans with all the capital that they
would need for the campaign OF this
wear. To talk about passing wise tarih
bill and thus throwing upon the Repuph-
cans OF the Senate the responsibility OF de-
featiny II is to talk as IL all the voters In
this country not only understood the tarlii
question but concurred in opinion with The
anti-protect,on Democrats on that subject.
The Republicans will say, "You would
have ruined all the manufacturers and all
their employe. II we had not prevented
you.- The Democrats can only reply that
such would not have been the effect. Of
course they would have more sense than 10
use Mr.. WATTERsoN's plea-namely, that
their new tariff. il it had become law
would have caused only a temporary re-
duction /" in the wages OF workingmen.
But the least justiflable OF all the pro-
pos;tions which have been pressed upon
the attention OF the Committee OF WAYS
and Means is the one which would provide
for horizontal reduction in the present
fariT-that Is, uniform reduction OF ten,
fifteen, or twenty per cent. Ii the House
of Representatives should pass such Dill
rs that. never afterwards could a Demo
crat say q word in favor, or even on tue
subject, OF a " discriminating Tariff" HIS
mouth would be closed. He would be
estopped from charging (what we are
inclined TO think is the case) that the
present tariff is the worst that tins
country ever had except the one that
Immediately preceded it-namely, the
one that was somewhat improved last year.
He would have 10 confess that his party
had accepted that abominable tariff as bet
ter than any Ii could itself desire. In
word, horizontal reduction is an acknow-
ledgment that the existing tariff is wholly
right except as to the percentage OF duties.
What sort OF tariff-plank could the Demo-
cratic National Convention put into its
platform? Would tariff thus formed
by taking a Republican tariff and cut
ting 1t down-a lower tariff made by
pairing down a higher one-by cut
ting precisely as much oil the toes as off
the head-would such a tariff, we say, be
the kind of tariff the Democrats OF Vir-
ginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania. and New Jer-
sew declared in favor Of last year! Would
that be tariff to "preyent unequal bur-
thens"f Ii so. the present tariff "pre-
vents unequal burthens." Would that be
tariff ito encourage productive industries
at homer? Then the present tariff Sen
courages productive industries at home"
Would that he tariff ''to afford just COM
pensation to labor! Then the present
tariff "affords Just compensation to labor"
Would that be tariff "not to create or
foster monopolies -: If so, the present. tariff
does not 'create or foster monopolies.'
In word, tariff formed by horizon
tai reduction in the present duties would
be Republican measure branded with the
name of the Democratic party-a sugar
coated Republican tariff, so to speak.
We do not desire to see the Democrats
in Congress make 4 blunder OF any sort.
I'm framing a tariff, it is the easiest thing
in the world to make a mistake. Even in
attempting to frame a tariff, it is easy to
do something that would destroy for four
wears at least all the bright prospects now
spread out before the Democratic party.
We fear that this last would be the only
result OF the passage of a horizontal tariff
by the. present House OF Representatives.