The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-04-26
An Attempt To Be Made to Weaken the Power
of the Protectionists by Slowly and
Gradually Expanding the Free List.
Increase in the Number of Lies Afloat
Concerning CleVeland's Marriage.
Prediction that All Pending Bills Appropriate
ing Money for Educational Purposes Will
Fail-0ther Washington News.
THE TARIFF BILL.

How the Free-Traders and Reformers Will
Attack tha Protectionists.
Special to tho Indianapolis Journax.
WASHINGTON April 25.-The fight over the
tariff bill, which may be looked for now any
day. promises to be an extremely vigilant cam
paign. Il has been frequently remarked with a
great deal Of surprise that Mr.. Hewitt should
have abandoned his free ore and free coal ideas,
and should have been willing to take up with
the Morrison bill as it was reported to the House.
There is, however, very brilliant scheme
behind this apparently ill-considered bill, and
one which, If successful, would be the en-
tering wedge which would certainly
split the protectionists and eventually
establish policy OF free trade in this country.
Hewitt, Morrison. Mills. Maybury and others of
ths alleged Performers" of the tariff realize that
so long as attempts are made to revise the tariff
by Wholesale and to reduce duties on every hand,
they will find themselves opposed by solid pro-
tectionist phalanx. They, therefore. have adopted
the idea of attacking protected points where the
Der, salt and wool have been selected as the
three principal materials to be added to the free
list. They realize that the lumber interest Of
the country ia confined to comparatively
small area and that in order to cheaper the
cost of building material to the consumers
in the prairie States, some of the Republicans
would be willing to place lumber on the free
list. On the other hand the men who are inter-
ested in lumber have few other interests which
are protected by the tariff. Therefore, if Morri-
son and his clique can engineer through Congress
~ I,,%xx
they will at the same time remove from the pro-
tectionst party these men who now have their
lumber interests protected. They believe that
with lumber on the free list the strength of the
protectionists in Maine and Michigan, for in
stance, would be broken. and that in the future
a great many supporters might be won
over among the Republican members
Of these States The same will apply
to the salt interests, and with equal
If not greater force, to the wool-growers.
With wool on the free list rural Ohio would in
all probahi|ity, have very little interest in the
protecfl0E policy, and members who now advo-
vate protection might be won over to extend the
free list in another Congress. The idea of Mr..
Morrison and his followers is that to secure more
radical changes in the tariff they must break the
lines Of the opposition. They have found out
through previous failures that this cannot be
done by horizontal reduction, nor can success
be hoped for so long as there are so many ad.
verse interests to be subserved by the tariff law
in its present form. The Republicans realize
that they have willy antagonists to deal with
They see where they are weak and propose, there
fore, to close their ranks and to fight the op-
position with solid front.
It is stated by those who have canvassed the
House that 1877 Republicans and thirty-seven
Democrats are ready to vote for proposition to
strike out the enaeting clause of the Morrison
Hewitt bill. This, however, seems doubtful, in
spite of the assurance to the contrary, as your
correspondent has made careful canvass among
a number of Republicans who are thought to be
little weak, and he has found that there are
more than three of them who will not vote for so
radical remedy as that proposed. While they
do not favor the tariff bill as it stands, and would
vote to kill it, in all probability, after discus
sion, they will certainly not be disposed to vote
favorably on the proposition to kill it in its in
fancy, although the fact that an earlier adjourn
ment might be brought about through such
tactics will, undoubtedly, heve considerable
weight in finally settling their course.