Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1888-12-11
The Daily Intelligencer.


4 The various amendments offered on the
I Democratic side Of the Senate to the duties
y the Iron schedule of the Senate bill
haye been unanimously voted down by
{ ~ Republican side, save the one offered
~ Senator Harris reducing the duty on
01ool beams from one and one-tenths to
4Nax 4enths OF q cent per pound; which
onator Plumb, Republican, of Kansas,
hss shown disposition TO support. He
y declares that the beam manufacturers
have long had trust under which they
maintained an exorbitant price for their
product; and he tells us how the con.
tractors for building the capitols Of Kan.
rs and Texas saved much money by i'm
porting their own beams. He wants to
deprive this trust Of the power which the
: heavy tariff duty gives its members Of
making an excessive price for their man.
utactures.
But Senator Plumb cannot take his
party with him; ard it is doubtful
whether he can even command his own
4 vote for policy whose justice he 30
4 clearly shows. It cannot be disputed
that the makers of steel beams are ena-
bled by the heavy import duty to obtain
Z = large price for their beams; though
they claim that 1t is not an excessive
s price, because OF the nature OF the bust.
ness. They are required to carry large
stock OF beams Of all sizes, costly to
store and to handle, TO ill orders that are
promptly required and that are generally
small. There is no good reason apparent
why beams should be protected by d
higher duty than bars and the move
ment to reduce the duty is one which
cannot be sensibly resisted.
Senator Sherman reconciles his vote In
favor Of the high duties imposed by the
Senate bill, with his position OF hostility
TO trusts, by declaring that the people
definitely declared In favor of protec-
tive tariff at the late election and that
this principle Of adjusting the tariff being
settled the work of fixing the proper duties
should be left to the committees of Con-
gress, ard be passed as they recommend.
: In this way he shifts the responsibility of
the high duty on beams, which are made
BY q trust; and votes for the duties, while
& maintaining his hostility TO trusts. 1t is
very lame performance, but eminently
j characteristic of Sherman. by long prac-
tice OF deception he has become quite
unable to tell the truth; and possibly he
deceiyes even himself. lie may believe
that he hates trusts; whereas everyone
else knows that he is just the man to
cultivate them.
But how is 1t that he can say that the
people In the late election have decided
In favor Of the Republican policy, and
/ that nothing remains for Congress to do
but to pass the tariff bill that Its Repub-
lican committees report?
How Is 1t that the people have ap.
proved the Republican policy, when the
Democrats plurality OF the people is
shown to be hundred thousand, and
when the Republicans were in minority
OF half q milliong
ID not the sense OF the people TO bt
taken from their votes 7 Certainly 1t is
4 and it is quite impossible for Senator
Sherman to truthfully declare that the Re.
publican policy has the popular endorse
ment. He may justly say that the Re.
publican party has been put in power in
the country through the peculiar method
OF recording the votes, which does NOT
let the majority of the people rule. Bu,
be will need to say that 1t is barely in
power having the president safely, bat
both houses of Congress so nearly tied a:
can be. The battle has been draw In
which the Republicans drew the offices
and the Democrats got the verdict of the
people for their principles. Which will
be the more profitable draw, the future
must show.