The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1886-08-05
CONGRESSMAN REED.
Issues of the Coming Canvass-The Tariff
and the Pension Vetoes.


and the Pension Vetoes.
Interview in New York Tribune1
"What about Congress? What are the
issues that are to come before the people
out of the session."
From present appearances we shall get
back TO the old issue of the tariff and the
issue of the capacity, or rather the lack of
capacity, of the Democratic party to con-
duct the government of the country. They
started in proposing to do certain things
for the benefit of the country which their
own administration and their own people
had recommended them to do. They are
closing their session without doing any of
| these things. In the first place, Mr.. Til
den said some very sensible things in re-
gard to Notifications and coast defenses.
His letter upon that subject was indorsed
not only by his party but by the country.
His recommendations are likely to be ig-
nored. The Secretary of the Navy earn
estly urged upon Congress to begin the
construction of navy. He urged that
ship building be entered upon, but Congress
has done nothing. The Secretary of the
Navy himself, up to the present time, has
not even completed the plans for ships that
|
| for whose construction appropriations
were made. He has not even asked for
bids for the construction of these ships, so
that nothing has been done by him, even
under the power that he already possessed.
| 1t is doubtful if Congress will give him
any further authorization, in view of this
dilatoriness. The last Democratic House
provided for commission to investigate
| the subject of ordnance and armored ships,
but their report is absolutely void of any
recommendation, and is, therefore, sure to
be void of results. Inasmuch as it takes a
| long period of time-one, two, or three
years-to build big gun, the folly of this
! delay must be apparent when taken In con-
nection with the entirely defenseless con-
dition of our seacoast. We are simply at
the mercy of the smallest of the civilized
nations of the globe 1t would, of course,
not be desirable that large amounts of
money should be spent at once ON coast
defenses and munitions of war. But the
United States could Immediately begin,
without injury or disturbance to its financial
! condition, to spend reasonable sum an
nually in this direction, which, in course of
time, would furnish due protection to our
| great cities and seacoasts, and give Us q
navy when we need one. Eventually this
gradual expenditure would give us proper
defenses all around"
How about the income tax to pay pen
sions?"
I'VE did not have that proposition in the
| House, but tho effect of such tax would
be to throw the burden of pension taxation,
when such clause was enacted, upon the
people of the North, as 80 to % per cent.
| OF any income tax would be raised in the
North"
an your opinion is the drift Of things in
the country favorable to the return of the
Republican party to power"
AS l told you, l get very little informa-
ton about the drift of things over the
country. IL seems To me that the natural
tendency of labor troubles in the country
and of these Knights of Labor organiza-
tons would be to help the minority party.
Yet in localities where | had little prac-
teal observation the knights of Labor go
over to the Democrats. No, that statement
is hardly correct. The Democrats are in
such n state of mind that they are going
over to the Knights of Labor. The Demo-
Gratis. in fact, are fishing in every direc-
ton"
The tariff question has been prom
inent?"
"The Democratic party seems incapable
of doing anything with regard to the tariff
or anything else. The majority of the
Democratic party is free trade in its ten
denotes. That majority in the House puts
in the chair Speaker who is in accord
with its own views. The Speaker always
appoints Committee on Ways and Means
which represents free trade. The practical
result of this appointment is that major
ity of the Committee on Ways and Means
originate tariff bill which can not pass the
House, while at the same time they pre-
vent the origination of any reform which
can go through. A single example will IL
lustrate clearly how the free-t trade organi-
cation renders the actual majority of the
House powerless. The importers and
warehouse men of New York and Brook
lyn, as well as other large cities on the
seacoast, have been anxious that Congress
should pass an administrative bill. There
is no dispute that such bill is necessary
and essential to the good of the customs
service. Its main features are practically
agreed upon. The majority of the Ways
and Means Committee have insisted on
lacking this administrative bill, which they
knew could pass the House, rs an append
age or rider to their tariff bill, which they
knew could not pass. 1t has been impos-
sible to detach the living from the dead.
| There is, therefore, no hope left for this
measure of administrative reform which the
people of the country want, so long as the
! House continues to be organized in the
present way. Protective tariff Democrats
in the House may help to ward of such
bills rs Mr.. Morrison biennially concocts,
but they are powerless to help needed ad-
ministrative reform"