St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-09-26

Democratic committee; W. M Camp
bell,J. F. Norrish and shook hands with
his opponent, d. Il. Hall, who was on a
tour in search of the "acrimony" of the
campaign. After holding an informal
chat with the friends come to greet him,
Mr.. Macdonald, i'll response to various
inquiries made by the GLOBE, said:
1.-The adjournment of congress de-
ponds upon the action of the senate.
The Democratic majority of the house
after consultation has decided to re-
main in session until such time as the
Republican senate reveals its intentions
as TO the tariff.
sit will be remembered that from the
beginning of the tariff discussion and
while the Mills bill was under consider
alton in the house that the Republican
members aud the Republican press of
the country claimed that the tariff
should be reformed and revised by its
friends-the RepublicanS-an that they
were the only ones competent to do it.
The Democratic reply was in the nature
of challenge to the Republican mem
berS of the house to produce such a bill
and offer it as substitute. They an
swered:
"'We will do so in our own good
time
KELLEY pa, in the general debate on
the Mills bill Che is the recognized high
tax leader, exclaimed in defiant man
ner:
"'We will furnish you
PROPER SUBSTITUTE
when we reach the stage of amend
ment.'
"And he added in a tone of antici-
Dated triumph:
"'You need not be uneasy. We will
satisfy you when the proper time comes.
after the general debate had ended
and we had entered Oh the discussion of
the bill by sections and for amendment,
we began calling for the promised Re-
publican substitute or amendment, but
none was forthcoming, and toward the
latter end of the debate we were given
to understand that that was reserved
for the senate to do if the Mills bill
reached them. The Republicans had
evidently up to the final vote tlattered
themselves with the belief that the
Democrats would not unite upon and
pass the bill But TO their surprise we
did unite, and considering the circum-
stances voted with singular unanimity."
Have impartial observers ever
thought, congressman. that the Repub-
licans ever intended to revise or reduce
the tariff unless forced to do so by the
Democrats"
mo! Everybody conceded that but
for our agitation the tariff would not
have been touched this session. The
general belief now is that the Republi-
can senate will do nothing and further
that from party standpoint it would
have been much better policy for the
senate to have come out openly as OPP
posed to the Mills bill ami gone to the
country on it.
1.-The fact is that the Republicans, as
a party, are in a very embarrassing
position. Four-fifths of their repre-
tatives and who were from protection
states were opposed to any revision of
the tariff that would interfere with the
present protection the tariff gives to the
monopolies of the country; but with
these members there were others who
represented constituents pronounced for
TARIFF REFORM
and revenue reduction, and the major
ity knew that this minority would
not agree to any bill that would reduce
the revenue by taking the tax OFF OF
whisky and tobacco and leaving the
high tariff tax OH the necessaries of life.
1T is apparent. therefore, why the Re-
publlcans have favored pOStponing any
action. | am fully satisfied that were
it not that the Republican majority had
assured the few tariff reform Repub-
| lican members that they would report a
| substitute, that several of them would
have voted for the Mills bill as Nelson
and Fitch did"
"Then you do not consider the Re-
publicans united on the tariff reform
| question:"
Il do not. The Republican party as a
| party is fully and unequivOcally COM
mitted to high protective tariff (made
| evident by the speeches of its leaders,
| for protectors sake. But there are a
| few individual Republican members
| representing close or doubtful districts
who are (as the Republican leaders in
| Minnesota were considered to be until
| this YEAR, in favor of such reform and
reduction in the tariff as will benefit the
| farmer, mechanic and WOrkingmen.
These have been reluctant to leave their
! party. and have voted with the high-taX
men in the delusive hope that their own
party would submit a satisfactory meas
ure."
II do not believe that the Republican
! members of the finance committee can
| prepare and report bill that will re-
ceiye the vote of every Republican
member of the senate. In the house
three or four Republican members
voted in favor of retaining lumber on
the free list in the Mills bill, and some
of them (notably the Kansas members
were as much opposed to the
reduction of the duty
ON SUGAR
as the members from Louisiana were.
The Kansas members believed that the
manufacturing of sugar from sorghum
was to develop into large home in
dustry. | therefore have good reason
for believing that bill that would be
satisfactory to senators from Kansas
and one or two other Western states,
would not be at all pleasing to sen