The Russellville Democrat. [volume] (Russellville, Ark.) 1875-1898, 1889-12-12

The Fifty-First Congress.

ot Louis hepuOitc. Win TIE as
sembling Of the Fifty first Congress
the Republican party comes into
control OF the Federal government
In all its brauches-legislative, ex
ecutive and judicial. If 1t divides
into factions it will not be for lacE
OF a clearly defined policy. All true
Republicans oe.:ovs. in raising as
much money as possible by taxation,
and in spending as much as possible
to prevent taxes from being reduced.
Among measures which will be
urged in the present Congress as .
means Of preventing lower taxes are
steamship subsides, harbor defence,
Pretorian Pension bills, the Desert
Land Fertilization jobs, the Blair
bill, increased expenditure for Fed
eral elections. special pension grabs
and public building jobs. With
such schemes as these the Rebubll
can party would have no difficulty
in getting rid Of the revenue il it
were twice as large as it is at pres.
ent.
Though generally agreed that the
taxes must be kept up, they dis
agree on "some minor points" as we
are told by Republican organ, but
even on these minor points they are
in one sense harmonious. They all
believe in getting rich at someone
else's expense, but when they at
tempt to put this great principal of
Republican political economy into
practice, the "minor points" develop.
The New England Republican whose
business is bnrdened with raw
material taxes for Ohio and Pennsyl-
vania, feels that he is not getting
the benefit Of the leading principle Of
the party. II is working against
him for somebody else's benefit, in
stead Of against somebody else for
his benefit.
On this account Eastern and
Western Republicanism will be apt
to lock horns when the House at
tempts to ssrevise' the tariff. There
is strong Republican demand for
free wool, free coal and free iron ore.
1t is, of course, impossible for any
Republican House to put these ar
ticles on the free list. All that can
be expected in the way of "revision"
from the Flfty-frst Congress is a
heavy cut on sugar, whiskey and
tobacco, with some juggling to
change ad valorem to specific tariff
duties and 80 raise the taxes as in
conspicuously as possible. One or
two of the weaker trusts may be at
tackled in the tariff bill, but that
measure will be carefully framed to
advance the interests of the party's
pet monopolies.
While this is certain to be the
outline of the bill submitted by the
Ways and Means Committee Of the
House, there is sure to be q fight
over 1t. No bill that departs from
this outline has any chance of pass
ing a Republican Congress, but the
injustice of such a measure is so
palpable that enough Republicans
may be arrayed against 1t to strike
out the enacting clause.
In addition 70 the schemes for
cmptying the treasury, there will be
much shaking of the Bloody Shirt.
The party Is seriously frightened
by the loss,of Ohio and Iowa, aud it
knows OF no other plan of recruiting
itself than by making extraordinary
efforts to Suppress the Rebellion.
The session wall be an exciting
one, but IT is likely to be compar-
atively barren of results. The Ad-
ministation party is In q position
where it thinks it wiser to talk than
to act. 1t will not pass any act
to take the control OF Federal
elections from the States, but 1t
will talk great deal on the subject.
1t would go into subsidies II it could,
but the Democratic opposition is
strong and able and the Republican
majority small and without men fit
to lead it. There may be Republi
can talent in the background ready
to be developed. but the men now
claiming the leadership of the Re
publican side IN the house are ac-
cidents, who have no particular gift
either OF eloquence or capacity as
organizers.
Location of the Worlds Fair.