Morning journal and courier., 1884-01-08
Tuesday, January 8. 1884.
A DEmoCRATIC ..IssUE:"

DEMOCRATIC .sIsSUE."
 The New York World has undertaken the difficult task of instructing the party whose principles it champions. Yesterday it con- tained number of very interesting inter- views with Democratic statesmen concerning the policy of the party in relation to the tar- if. Perhaps the most interesting of the ''tslks'' is that of Congressman Eaton of this State. Mr. Eaton tells his fellow Democrats with good deal of force that while he has
 the reform of the tariff assmueh at heart as
 anyone, any agitation of the subject in the
 house at the present time is senseless He
 says: "We cannot do anything beyond mere
 talk. In the first place do not believe we
 can pass any general bill through the House
 There are at least sixty Democratic mem
 bers, in my judgment, who will vote against
 any tariff revision this season. If bill could
 be passed through the House it could not
 pass the Senate. If it could pass there the President would veto it. Why should we seek to dash ourselves against stone wall and unsettle business with an impracticable agitation?' In reply to request for his opin- ion as to what should be the main issue of the Democratic party for the next campaign he replied: Turn the thieves out Of the temple. It will be time enough for us to re- form the tariff when we have Democratic
 believe in the humbug of civil service re- form, so called. want to turn out the Re
 publicans and place the government, in all It's details in tho hRnds of good Democrats. Then we can take up the reformation of the tariff without making party question of it. It is 8 great economic question and ought to be treated from the staRdpoint of business. do not object, this winter, to consider, per- haps, special bills remedying some of the evils of the tariff system if there is any chance of passing them, but I am uncom- promisipgly against any general bill.
 Congressman Converse, of Ohio, is one of those interviewed. He has no hesitation in saying that the way Ohio goes next year will be largely determined by the action of the Democrats of the House this session. He thinks Ohio was lost to the Republicans last year by the reduction of the tariff on wool The people in that State are demanding has not yet very clearly made up his mind how it is likely to be dons. He is anxious to avoid another tariff discussion, but at the same time the sentiment in his State is very strongly in favor of some action being taken in relation to wool. If wool is taken up other things cannot be left alone. He thinks the Democrats in Ohio will have hard strug- gle next year, and the contest is hopeless un- less they keep clear of anything like fres- trade issue.
 Sixty Democratic congressman are said by Mr. Eaton to be opposed to general tariff bill, but it is not related how they stand on the rascals issue. There Is, however, no doubt about the attitude of the World in this mat ter. Hear it: ''The government is in the hands of men who have stolen 1t once through fraud and once through corruption of men who enable corporations and menopolies to ride roughshod over the rights of the people; of men whose prodigality and hunkeyism un- dermine democratic free government of men who rob the people and go unpunished of men who are rapidly destroying public order of men who insolently resolved to hold on to power and resisted the right of the people to inaugurate the president they elected" This being the terrible situation of affairs, the World insists on the 'fsimple issue in next years campaign of driving this un- worthy party from power and testing the right of the majority to elect and ineugurate whatever president they choose" All this looks as if the New York Sun, when it long ago shouted ''Turn the rascals out !" hit on the Democratic war cry for the next cam paign. This issue will suit the Republicans, for even if they are es rascally as the Demo crats say they are, they will have the best of the argument in advising the people not to let the Democratic rascals in