The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-07-19

whose interests were at stake appealed to
them for an opportunity to be heard they
shut the door OF the committee room in their
faces and CURLY told them that they wanted
none of their advice. Their Republican
associates on the committee were treated in
the same way. When and where this bill
was concocted they do not know to this day.
Mr.. Mills, a representative from Texas,
State which has few industries and can
always be depended upon for big Demo-
cratic majority, apparently engineered the
whole business. he slashed into industries
which he knew nothing about, provided they
were confined entirely or largely to States
certain to give Republican majorities. But
though poor economist, he was good poll
tician and he took good care not to affront
the solid South by his cut downs. He didn't
NEEDLE with rice, and he meddled with sugar
no more than Mr.. Havemeyer of the sugar
trust and the Louisiana sugar planters told
him he might Indeed so deferential was he
to Mr.. Hayemeyer who is worthy Demo-
crat and is understood to have contributed
literally to the Cleveland campaign fund
four years ago that he put up the sugar duty
to cut 1t down to to please him and keep him
in line for Cleveland and reform. The reck
lessness which characterized the committee
In the committee room did not desert them
when the bill got into the House. Mr.. Cleve-
land was with them and with his help they
managed to impress it upon the protection
wing Of the Democracy that their loyalty to
this bill would be considered test of their
Democracy. With this established they found
1t plain sailing. When Republican offered
an amendment to the bill designed to save
some important industry. Mr.. Mills paid
little attention to the merits of the amend
ment; he shouted vote and the Democracy
promptly voted it down. The only provisions
which Mr.. Mills allowed to be amended
were those which might have bad effect on
the Democracy in close congressional dis
tricts. Such changes he allowed as promptly
as he suppressed those that had no better
basis than that they might prevent the Grip
pling of an industry that gave employment
to thousands of working men. He professed
that lie had constructed his bill with view
to the reduction of the cost of living to
the people. But when the fact was called
to his attention that rice was one OF the
necessaries of life in some parts of the coun-
try, and that it still bore under his bill
hundred per cent. duty, he curtly refused to
allow the duty reduced. When asked, too,
to allow the reduction of the duty on sugar
to half its present amount, he refused. Su-
gar, to be sure was necessary of life, but
high tariff on it was necessary to the success
n ia orfx q. L ntcfo g.,
next election, and Mr.. Mills had no stomach
for the relief Of the dear people, of whom he
prated so much, at the expense of the success
of the Democratic party.
Yet in all this apparent crookedness of
procedure, this apparent Inconsistency, 1t is
doubtless the fact that Mr.. Mills and his
free trade allies have done nothing inconsis-
tent with the real design of their measure
The bill has been proclaimed to the public as
bill to reduce the surplus and to reduce the
taxes of the consumer. Neither of them was
the main object that 1t had in view. The
main object was to break down the protec-
tive system. And the bill was skillfully
framed to that end. Fad it attacked North
ern and Southern industries alike it could
never have passed. Mr.. Mills recognized
that fact in the beginning, and that was the
secret, of the Partially of its provisions.
Had he been impartial the bill would have
failed entirely, and protection would not
have been wounded. By excepting Southern
interests largely from its provisions he Sc
cured votes enough to pass it, and thus,
though he failed of destroying the protective
system all at once he was able to deal it a
severe blow. From the standpoint of his
real purpose his management of the bill both
in its construction, and in its progress
through the House, has been exceedingly
skillful. OF course he does not expect to get
1t through the Senate at this session, but if
he can get an endorsement Of it from the
voters Of the country at the coming election
under the spccious plea that it is merely a
measure to reduce taxation, the next Con-
gress will probably enact it into a law.
Then the demolition of the protective sys-
tenn will have fairly begun, and we may be
sure that it will proceed as fast as circum-
stances will permit. ;