The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1884-04-10
Showing Their Hand.

Showing Their Hand.
The Democratic majority in Congress is
growing restless. With the power to enforce
their peculiar views upon the subject of
the tariff, they have hitherto lacked the
courage to press the Morrison bill
to vote. The predominance of the free
trade element in the Democratic repre-
sentation was shown in the election of Mr..
Carlisle speaker. The appointment of Mr..
Morrison to the craftsmanship of the COM
mittee on ways and means was notice to
the world that free trade had once more
gained the ascendancy in the National
Congress, and that its advocates intended
to make their power felt. They had mas
queraded SO long, however, that they
feared the effect of a too sudden throwing
off Of the disguise. AS q consequence
they went slow. The few members of
their own party, led by Mr.. Randall, who
disagreed with them, interpreted this
caution as timidity, and when it was at
tempted to force the issue on the Morri-
son bill in caucus, the minority showed
their teeth and announced that they would
not be bound. The majority wavered and
took breathing spell. Since then, how
ever, they have, been gaining strength and
courage. Watterson's caustic editorials
and the consciousness that now or never
they must act, seem to have aroused
them to aggression and the force policy.
Recently two very significant meetings
have been held in New York for the evident
purpose Of strengthening the Morrison
bill and the backbone of the so-ca1led tar
if reformers. Not long ago the Free
Trade club of New York city gave din
ner and the most prominent speaker was
Mr.. Carlisle. He came out boldly for free
trade and strongly intimated that the
time had come when those who thought
with him should withdraw their light from
under the bushel, and declare their senti-
mentS as party. Last Saturday night a
second Free Trade Democratic club din
ner was given, this time in Brooklyn.
Like it's predecessor in the sister city it
was manifestly gotten up with q design to
let the country know the party's attitude
and as notice to the few protectionists who
still claimed utilization with it that they
must either come into measures or take
the consequences. Mr.. Morrison in re-
spouse to the invitation to be present,
wrote among other things
"We are trying to make the burdens of
the people of the great State of New y ork
little lighter, her commerce little freer.
If we fail it will be because her chosen
Democratic representatives, forgetful of
Democratic principles, shall unite with
Republican protectionists in voting to
maintain war tariff taxes.
Speaker Carlisle said:
ssYou can safely assure our Democratic
friends that great majority of their rep
reSentativeS in Congress are determined to
make ain earnest and honest effort during
the present session to inaugurate the poll
cy OF tariff reform to which we have been
SO long committed as a political party.
We may not be able at this time to accom-
plish all that ought to be done, but we can
do something to give assurance to the
country that we have been sincere in our
professions, and that it is our fixed pur-
pose to reduce and equallze the burdens
of taxation as rapidly as circumstances
will permit
Mr.. Bayard, the principal speaker,
strongly advocated States rights and de-
nounced the tariff as system of legalized
communism. Hon. J. Randolph Tucker,
spoke in response to the toast "De-
mocracy and the Constitution, but the
papers failed to give the substance of his
remarks. Hon. Joe Blackburn, of Ken.
lucky, was the boldest in declaration, and
appears to have pretty much monopolized
the applause. He cried aloud for ''free
iron, free sugar and free SALT" and an
nounced himself s'an avowed and absolute
free trader" and thereat the audience
cheered to he,echo.
Having gathered fresh inspiration from
this commingling Of sympathetic co-demo-
Gratis. the members of both houses of Con-
gTeSs present, doubtless returned to Wash
ington with the determination to grant no
further concessions to their anti-free trade
brethren, to make no further modifica-
tions in the Morrison bill, but to push
that measure to the test and stand OF fall
by it. Speaker Carlisle's letter contained
two very significant points. One was that
the ''time for action has GOMEZ and the
other that the Morrison bill was but the
entering wedge of the true democratic pol
icy. The first Of these, if it means any
thing, is the declaration of determined and
aggressive warfare in support of the bill,
and farewell to the half-hearted, coward
i ly tactics that have been hitherto employ
ed in the attempt to please the minority
and thus command the whole party
strength. The second is warning, I'M
consciously given, to the business interests
of the country that tariff reform" is but
the first step to pure and simple free trade,
and that democratic success in 1884 would
mean the uprooting Of the American sys-
tenn, the reduction of the price of labor, land
the prostration of industrial enterprise.
Democracy is at last gaining courage
sufficient to show it's hand. 1t is coming
out in its true colors. 1t is justifying all
that has been charged against it by the
friends of protection and branding as a
miserable attempt at deception the profes.
sions of its party as announced in the Vir-
ginia and Ohio platforms and as maintained
by some of its adherents in this and other
States, It is simplifying the issues of
the Presidential campaign by proclaiming
the gospel of the free trade doctrinaires,
throwing off the treacherous mask it has
worn and assuming it's true position as the
enemy of national progress and the dis
turber of national peace. And in doing
this it is contributing as much as all other
agencies combined to republican success in
1884. About the only benefit the country
has ever derived from this combination of
obstructionists has been its making GER
tain the perpetuation of Republican con-
troll.
|. Passage OF the Educational Bill.
The bill introduced ty Senator Blair, of
New Hampshire, providing for national
aid to the Public Schools, passed the
SenateTin modified form on Monday last,
by "a vote Of SO to IL, all of. the votes