New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-04-04
THE NATURAL CONSEQUENCE.

If it has become impossible to elect Demo
Gratis who can be trusted to uphold protection
even at the desire of constituents and in COM
pliance with pledges to them, the constituents
will elect Republicans. Party feeling, the
power of party discipline, the vast influence Of
party patronage prove too much for the fidelity
of certain Democratic representatives, who
were elected only because they protested de-
| termination and in most cases formally pledged
themselves, to maintain the protective tariff
| 1t is for the Democratic members themselves to
show how many of them are thus recreant. In
their cases, the only remedy which sensible
voters will attempt TO apply is to elect men oil
| a different party. If party feeling among Dem
ocrats is so strongly in favor of free-trade, the
| feeling among Republican members will help
| TO guard them against a similar treachery
Whatever the force of party discipline can do to
make Democratic members go wrong, similar
discipline will do to make Republican members
60 right.
There has been much foolish talk among
Democrats and Mugwumps about the supposed
inability of Republicans to agree on the tariff
question. Most of it has been false and fraud
ulent. For many years the proportion OF DEM
ocratic members in favor of free-trade has been
three fourths or four-ffths, and steadily growing
larger. But the proportion of Republican
members in favor of protection has for many
years been more than nine-tenths, and steadily
growing larger. The power of four-ffths, in
shaping Democratic opinion and policy, may
indicate something of the power of nineteen
twentieths in shaping Republican opinion and
policy Moreover the Democratic minority
has for years been strong enough and resoute
enough to sustain itself fairly against unquali-
fed commitment of the party to free-tIade
plans A platform which could be read two
ways, and candidate who would consent to
pretend to be what he was not, have been the
results. But the Republican candidates have
at all times been outspoken and unequivocal in
their position on this question, and the Presi-
Dental platforms have been explicit. 1t has
never been in the power of twentieth of the
Republican voters to pretend that their party
was not committed, beyond dispute or mistake,
to the principles embodied in Republican legis-
lation for the past twenty-seven years.
The logic of the situation, then, is that the
failure of Mr.. Randall and his friends to defeat
the Mills bill by Democratic votes will result in
the election of Republicans wherever Demo-
Gratis prove treacherous. There is no more ex-
cuse for trusting Democrats who profess ability
To resist the overwhelming tendencies of their
party The only safe way is to elect Republi-
can representatives, for the influences surround
ing them will all be of a nature TO hold them
faithful to the will of their constituents. The
Democratic voters themselves, who feel that
protection is wise and necessary, will be the
first to realize that they cannot trust members
who will 90 into Democratic caucus. Their
first desire will be TO show what they think of
their party, by taking care that no free-trade
Speaker shall again be elected through their
votes. In how many Congressional districts
they will subject their party to this discipline,
it is for the Democratic members to say who
were elected upon assurances that they could be
trusted to uphold protection.