New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-06-19
THE PEASON FOR DEFEAT


.Ciye me fools for enemies" was the prayer
of a sagacious fighter. The enemies OF pro'ec-
t;on are certainly not wise. Mr.. Morrison now
declares, it is stated by a journal especially
friendly to him, that no legislation except the
appropration bills shall be considered IN the
House during the rest of this session, unless his
tariff bill is taken up and acted upon. Nothing
that he could do would better serve to intensity
the hostility with which the free-trade theorists
are regarded by the country. IL was BAD
enough to have them disturbing all Industry Tor
months, at every session OF Congress, with
thu eats of change of the tariff, and honest
though misguided efforts to secure such a
change. But if it has come to this that unable
to get majority for their pet measure In any
other way, they will try to bully Congress or
the people by blocking the wheels of Govern
ment unless they can have theiI own way, there
will speedily be a reaction against the theorists
and the Democratic party which will put an end
to the agitation for some time to come
Mr.. Morrison ought to have taken warning
from the character Of the vote in the House. 1t
is true that he had great majority of the
Democratic members with him. But the oppo-
stion to his measure was of sort that no
sensible leader would venture to disregard.
Ten of the Democratic members ont OF sixteen
from this great State in spite of all the appeals
of the importing interest, here more powerful
than anywhere else, and in spite of the personal
appeals of the President, himself New
Yorker refused to vote for the consideration OF
Mr.. MorrisOn's bill. 1t is foolish to suppose
that these men did not know what they were
about. Beyond doubt they would most gladly
have voted to promote Democratic harmony
and to hel2 President Cleveland, by far the
most popular Democrat in this State, and also
TO help Mr.. Morrison. who is on the whole per
hans the most popular Democrat in the House,
with all his faults, if they had dared to face
their constituents with any such vote. Ont of
eight Democratic members from Pennsylvania,
five voted against consideration, and it can
hardly be supposed that these would have been
unwilling to go with the majority of their party
if they had dared Every Democratic member
from New-Jersey, and eight out of the eleven
Den ocratlc members from Ohio, voted against
considerations while one of the three from Ohio
who voted to consider the bill is stated to be
opposed to the change of duties, and favorable
only TO the administrative part of the measure.
Four out of the five Democratic members from
Louisiana voted against consideration and the
only Democratic member from California. 1t
was a thrust keenly felt by Mr.. Morrison. when
the two members from Chicago, two OF the ten
in his own State, also voted against him, with
one from Alabama, the representative OF the
birmingham district, and one from Maryland.
Cannot Mr.. Morrison see that this opposition
within his own party is only reluctant and en-
forced recognition of an overwhelming popular
hostility to free-tr;ide IL easures? The men from
these districts did not dare to vote az INST the
known wishes of their constituents.
Now let Mr.. Morrison ask himself what
would become of the Democratic party in the
next Preside ,ial election if it should take the
position which he desires. He knows that it
would thereby sacrifice many thousand votes in
New-York and thousands in New Jersey, but a
change of less than two thousand in either State
would make Democratic success impossible.
| He knows that the change in Ohio has
already made Democratic success impossible
there. He knows that the one vote for protec-
ton from California represents the growing
sentiment of the people of tho Pacific States.
In what part of the country can free-trade
party hope to succeed Even in the South. the
rapid increase of manufacturing establishments
! gives warning to the politicians of that parry
that their power cannot long be maintained,
| even by shot guns and forged returns.
| 1t is said that Mr. Morrison relies much upon
what the President can do before next Tuesday.
| The statement has in it not a shadow of proba-
bility. Mr.. Morrison knows a. we'll as any man
in the House that the Presidents course in this
and other matters, has made it impossible for
him to aid the pending bill, unless it be by d.
rect use of lis patronage, which he has re-
peatedly refused to employ in such manner.
| Nj. Cleveland is shrcwd enough to see
that it would do him no good to get a bill
passed by the House which the Senate would
| inevitably defeat. Mr.. Morrison, it is safe TO
sag, no longer expects n favorable decision in
either House. All that he is seeking is to en-
barrass the President as much as possible.