Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-05-08
a GLANCE BACKWARD.
"Reminiscences Recalled BY the Report of
MckinIey's Tariff Committee.

"Reminiscences Recalled BY the Report of
| McKinIey's Tariff Committee.
Every body remem bers the lordly and
supercilious tone in which the Repub-
lican organs of the tariff rings discussed
the Democratic efforts to reform the
revenue system two years ago. The
| Democratic members of the ways and
( means committee-Messrs. Mills, Breck-
inridge. Bynum and others-devoted
| two q three months to the preparation
of a tariff bill, and the Republican
organs reproached them for their dila-
/ toriness. The organs poked all sorts of
/ fun at these gentlemen because they
did not report bill within a week or
TWO after they had taken up the ques-
ton, and declared very broadly that
/ their failure to do so was due to their
lack of general intelligence and ability
/ TO do such work, as we'll as to their
/ shocking ignorance of practical bust
! ness conditions and their want of famil-
1arlty with manufactures. The Journal
of this city, taking the cue from the
Eastern organs of monopoly, printed
! the figures showing the insignifcance
OF the manufacturing interest in the
Mills and Breckenridge districts, and
insisted that as Mr.. Mills and Mr.
+ breckenridge represented farmers prin-
cipally, and Southern farmers at that,
it was monstrous effrontery for them to
assume to know any thing about the
principals of taxation, or to have any
thing to say about the amount of tribute
that the protected interests should be
allowed to levy upon the masses of the
people.
The Democratic members Of the ways
and means committee two years ago
agreed upon bill before submitting it
to their Republican colleagues. For
this they were fiercely denounced by
the New York Tribune, which charac-
terized the Mills bill as "a darE-lantern
bilF'-a phrase which was echoed and
re-echoed by all the other organs of the
tariff rings.
When the Mills bill was reported the
Republican papers, before their able
editors had had time to read it, assaulted
it in unison in an attack upon the bust
ness interests of the country, which, If
successful, was certain to throw the
whole commercial world into confusion,
close mills and factories all over the
country. throw thousands of working
men out of employment reduce the
wages of the rest and play smash gem
orally. There were some people scat
tered around the country whose uncOn-
sciOnablc dividends the Mills bill would
have cut down. Some of these people
called themselves Democrats and they
hurled imprccatiOnS at Cleveland, Mills
and the rest of the tariff refOrmers,
whereupOn the monopoly organs shouted
in chorus: 'BchOld how the Democratic
party is torn up and likewise split wide
open. Lo. it is demoralized and rent
with internecine strife. Tariff tinker
ing has done :hc business for it. The
Democratic party always was an ass.
That is why it tackled the tariff. There
is nothing like being a grand old party
and possessing all the wealth, patriot
ism and intelligence in the country, and
! being led by friends of protection to
American industry Grand old parties
like that know enough not to tackle the
tariff, and that is why they are always
or almost always-On top"
We are led to indulge in these rCmi-
niscences by survey of the spectacle
now presented at Washington. The
majority of the ways and means COM
mittce-composed of friends of the
Neutrality-suspicious. with highly-pro-
tected potteries and such things in their
districts. and therefore familiar with
the business interests of the country
and competent to make scientific tariffs
after working on a tariff bill twice
long as poor. ignorant Farmer Mills and
his associates worked on their bill
have finally produced an abortion. They
thought they had a bill several times,
but they changed their minds, and not
until few days ago did they know what
they were going to do with sugar, WOOL
hides and a dozen other things. Their
bill is dark lantern" bill, because
they did just what the Democratic men,
bers of the committee did two years
ago-framed their measure without
consulting their Democratic asso-
ciates. And what plight they
are in, The leather, wooden and
iron manufact turing interests of New
England have been up in arms for
weeks because of the additional bur-
dens sought to be placed upon them;
{ the carpet industry of the country pro-
! tests that the Mckinley measure, if it
/ becomes law, will involve it in abso-
( lutte ruin: the sugar planters of Louis
f lana stlllt Jut Dttb IOoG GItoL1tS VI
sas and other States are in condition
/ bordering on insanity; the canning in
tcrests are paralyzed. The G. o. p. is
/ utterly demoralized throughout the conn-
try: the President doesn' seem to know
. whether he is ''afoot or a horseback;
Blaine Buttcrworth and Hit are talk
ing free trade, while Crazy Horse Me
kinley is yainly striving to apply his
absurd protectionist theories to actual
/ business conditions.
IN view of the assumption of superior
intelligence and capacity to deal with
revenue questions III which the Repub-
ican leaders and newspapers INDUCED
two years ago, the existing situation
would be inexpressibly absurd, if it
we're not fraught with such dire peril to
he country. -Indianapolis Sentinel.
BOOMING AGRICULTURE.
The IsrayinS of the Donkey ut the Head