National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-03-25

To say that the free traders Of the forty
ninth Congress are discouraged conveys no
adequate idea Of the situation or their feel
ings in relation thereto. 1t Is no exaggeration
to speak of them as absolutely dIsheart-
cned, and we may add without departing
from the domain Of sober fact, they
are profoundly dlsgustcd They are be-
ginning to feol-moro keenly than they
have ever felt bcfore-that the "revenue
reformer's" lot In these days and in this
republic Is the reverse of a happy one.
Starting out at the beginning Of the ses-
sion with a flourish of trumpets indicative
of unbounded confidence, announcing that
they had a clear majority Of the House
with them and were almost sure Of the
Senate, proclaiming that the protection
wing of the Democratic party had surren-
dcred to the free traders, aud that the
Democracy was practically solid for re.
vision: OF the schedule Of imposts in the
direction Of strictly revenue tariff, they
find, after three and half months Of ef.
fort, that their work Is failure, and that
their cause has been losing ground at an
Unprecedented rate.
~ - iAIN NANtliAN NHlaANAlb 'AtA'N l'NANN lNa-
BILE to every member Of the ways and
means committee as readily as to any OF
their fellow. .cit2ens in or ont Of Congress
that The last three months have been
period Of almost phenomenal growth Of
protection sentiment on both sides Of the
Atlantic. II the free traders continue to
experience such ill.fortunc in the near
future as they have encountered in the re-
cent past, the day is not far distant when
| their party or faction will be relegated to
| the past tense
Contemplation of the change that has
come to their cause and its prospects by
| Col. Morrison and his brethren is not rem
dered more consoatory by the rejection
that they have been the chief promoters OF
| the decadenCc that they deplore. All the
advocates Of protection, all who have writ
/ ten or spoken in favor OF the maintenance
of our protective policy, all who have cou-
trihuted in any way to the flood that has
swept away the ilimsy fallacios Of the free
trade fanatics, owe TO Col. Morrison and
his associates the opportunity to make their
/ work tell in the most effective manner.
The Morrison bill, which its proud parent
and his admiring friends regarded at It's
birth as "one among ten thousand aud al
together lovely,n is dead-dead as the dust
of murdered Abel. Possibly the title may
have survived, but its head and limbs aud
trunk ana all the rest and residue of its
anatomical belongings is gone-gone where
little Horizontal went
1t was slain in good part by the hands of
those who were counted upon TO be It's
friends. The most damaging blows in
| flicted on It came from the south; from
southern Democrats who were billed to
| whoop and hurrah for almost any raid on
protection. The rico interest, the iron iu-
terest, the sugar contingent, and the hemp
brigade all and severally planted their
clubs on its luckless head. Thus beset it
turned its face to the wall and died.
In this emergency we can see no wiser
course for the Morrison committee, If they
find any room for reduction of revenue,
than to drop the corpse that lies unburled
on their hands, and go for repeal Of the
tobacco tax. That repeal would strike Off
about s2G,000,0O0 at a single blow, aud
would give real relief where it is needed
would remove a burden from agriculture,
an anamalous tax on that industry, and
would lessen the cost of the poor mans
only luxury, luxury that has become a
necessity.