Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1888-06-06

The ISSUE.
Tariff Reform Against Tariff for Surplus
-Regardless of the Fate OF the Mills
Blu, This Will BE the Issue.


Tariff Reform Against Tariff for Surplus
-Regardless of the Fate OF the Mills
Bin, This Will BE the Issue.
1t is now nearly six months since tho
Presidents message forced upon Congress
and the country the issue of tariff reform.
General debate in the House upon the Mills
bill, framed in response to that message,
has closed. What, asks the New York
World, has been gained within this half
year, and what is the present outlook for
the Presidents policy!
l. 1t has been demonstrated that the cry of
81 free trade" no longer alarms the country
The Mills bill has been perrsistently called
!" free trade measure" WorlKing-men have
been told that high wages depend upon high
taxes. Capital has been warned to " save
protection" And yet it is a striking fact
that the old appeal formerly so effective
has fallen fat. Not even in New York, the
greatest of manufacturing cities, could
significant meeting be drnmmed up to pro-
test against tariff reduction. Outside of
politics there has been no demonstration of
popular disapproval The Republican ap-
peal TO the fears of the workiug-men has
been a complete failure.
2. The President has united his party up
on this issue as it has not been united upon
any great question since tho close of the
war. Mr. Cleveland did not carry his party
with him on Civil, Reform tariff. He failed
to secure its sympathy in his silver scare.
But upon tariff reform he has a united
Democracy at his back and the party thus
united will give the President unanimous
denomination, chiefly because he stands as
the champion of tax reductian and tariff re-
form. 1t is gain politically to have the
party thus united upon q policy aud a leader.
3. he educative effect of the discussion
has been considerable. Some ignorance has
been enlightened, some prejudice has been
removed and public attention has been
aroused to the danger of an enormous sur
plus and the injustice of unnecessary taxa
ton. Not in many years before has there
been so able debate in Congress or such a
widespread discussion in the press of a
| Governmental policy as that which the Presi-
dents message evoked.
4. In spite of all this, the fate of the
Mills bill is in doubt, even in the Demo-
cratic House Though born of the Presi-
dents message, embodying the Democrat
| lc policy and presenting clearly the issue
| upon which the Presidential campaign
must be fought, its passage by the House
depends upon whether dozen protection
| lst Democrats vote as their inclinations
dictate, or vote with their party for the
sake of cohesion. Doubt on this point was
| lIlCISslStQ Dy Tue refusal OF LnG DCnOcraLlc
convention in New York to indorse the
Mills bill This blunde ring timidity en-
courages hesitating members to consult
their own interests rather than the inter-
ests of their party. For failure to pass
the Mills bill will inevitably injure the
party. 1t wlllleave twelve -year-old pledges
still unredeemed. 1t will demonstrate for
the third time Democratic inability to legis-
late on the most important question before
the Government.
g. This doubt raises the query whether
the President did the right thing at the right
time. Would it not have been better had
the President raised this issue in the first
year of his term rather than in the lastl
The World urged that the issue be raised
two years ago. in a special session Of Con-
gress. This would have given more time
for consideration and for action. 1t would
perhaps, have enabled the party to pJint to
successful achievement rather than to futile
attempt. 1t would at least have kept the
decision off the perilous edge of Presiden-
| tial election. We frankly say that we still
think this course would have been better
But the President thought differently. He
did the right thing in his message to Con-
gross. We promptly and cordially sustained
him, declaring that he had furnished his
party what it had long needed-"an Issue
and Leader" We would rather support
the right thing at the wrong time than at
no time But the right thing and the right
time are doubtless preferable.
8. Whatever may be the fate of the Mills
bill, the issue is joined, and there is no es-
cape from it. 1t grows out of a new, IRE
pressible conflict between two antagonistic
ideas Tariff reform against tariff for
surplus-a freer trade against over-protec-
tion. On this issue the Presidential cam
paign must be and will be fought.