The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-03-22
Henry WattersOn's POmpOus PrOnunciamentO
Denounced and the Erratic Editor De-
clared Void of POlit ical Sense.
The Democratic Conference on the Tar
if Question Again Postponed.
Probability that the Bill for Extending the
Bonded Period of Whisky Will Fail
"A New LOw-Rate Bond.
A QUESTION OF PARTY POLICY.
Eastern Democrats Declare They Will Not
Support the Morrison Bill.

Eastern Democrats Declare They Will Not
Support the Morrison Bill.
Special to the indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, March 21-It is reported that
at recent dinner attended by Speaker Carlisle
Mr.. Morrison, ex-senator Mcdonald, and other
Democrats of free-trade proclivities, given at
hotel in this city, it was decided to make the
Morrison bill the subject of caucus rule, and that
the Wattersonian theory should be adopted, the
bill pushed as party measure and the platform
of the Chicago convention be based upon the bill
This action, it is said, assures the nomination of
Mcdonald as the presidential candidate of the
Democracy.
To-day talked with a number of New York
and Pennsylvania Democrats upon the subject
and the verdict was unanimous. They will not
support the bill under any circumstances. One
of them said: 'Watterson is fool He has tried
once or twice before to run the party, and has
failed. 1t is useless for him to endeavor to CO.
cree Northern Democrats into voting for such a
cut-throat measure as that proposed by Nor
rison. We have already lost the presidency by
the confounded tariff bill, and 1 do not propose
to lose my district by any such murderous ac-
ton"
Another, who comes from large manufactur-
ing region of Pennsylvania, said: ''The ways and
means committee have murdered the Democratic
nominee before he has been named, by allowing
itself to be led into reporting bill drawn by a
man of Morrison's stripe He has neither brains
nor knowledge of economic questions and is fit
for nothing more than to run the machine of pol
itics in some backwoods district His ambition
to have his name printed on a few dozen cotton
transparencies and paraded at the head of every
Democratic procession in the country this fall
has led him to commit a crime against his party
which can only be atoned for by nominating him
for the presidency, with Abe Hewitt at the tail
of the ticket. He would then be so badly
thrashed that we should never be troubled by
him again. There is no doubt that the tariff
laws, in their present state, are unequal and un-
fair, and that they should be reformed; but the
idea of such bill as Morrison's to accomplish
the desired result is absurd in the extreme. You
may take your oath it will never pass the House
We don't want it"
The warning Democratic factions of the House
show no signs Of securing even a small section
of harmony. That caucus, or conference" as
they. call it, in which they at first expected all
knots would be rubbed Off has been postponed
again The last date fixed for that jubilee of
harmony was next Tuesday but the Morrison
Watterson- Carlisle howl has been answered by
an unmistakable warwhoop from the Randall
Eaton-Hopkins band of braves. Instead of
taking up their gripsacks and going out of the
party, as they were hidden, they have acted so
defantly to almost demand that the other
side, not they must co. therefore the confer
hoe haap nil 10 Lol1
until the latter part of next week. Such is the
latest bulletin from the sick room. In the
meantime frantic bowls for harmony continue to
be raised by the lesser lights, but the leaders go
on apparently as obstinately ever. Judging
from appearances, the Democrats will have to
put off their conference, if they want harmony,
until the first session of Congress after the next
Republican President is elected.