The Brookhaven leader., 1890-05-15
LOOKING BACKWARD.
"Reminiscences Recalled By the Report OF
McKinIey's Tariff Committee.

Superclll0uS tone In WHICH Jne hepuD-
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 or three months to the preparation
Of 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 well as to their
shocking ignorance of practical busi-
ness conditions and their want of famil-
iarity 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 Breckinridge 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 a.bill before submitting 1T
to their Republican colleagues. For
this they were fercely denounced by
the New York Tribune, which charac-
terized the Mills bill as "a dark-lantern
bilP'-a phrase which was echoed ana
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 busl-
ness interests of the country, which, II
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-
scionable dividends the Mills bill would
have cut down. Some of these people
called themselves Democrats and they
hurled imprecations at Cleveland, Mills
and the rest of the tariff reformers.
whereupon the monopoly organs shouted
in chorus: "Behold 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 the business for it, The
Democratic party always was an ass.
That is why it tackled the tariff. There
is nothing like being 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 remi-
niscences by survey of the spectacle
now presented at Washington. The
majority of the ways and means COM
mittee-composed of friends of the
students of markets and not of
maxims"-gentlemen 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 tariff bill twice as
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 dozen other things Their
bill is a dark lantern" bill, because
they did just what the Democratic mem
bers of the committee did two years
ago-framed their measure without
consulting their Democratic asso-
ciates. And what a plight they
are in! The leather, woolen and
iron manufacturing 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 a law, will involve it in abso-
lutte ruin; the sugar planters of Louis
lana and the beet root theories of Kan
sas and other States are in a condition
bordering on insanity; the canning in
terests are paralyzed. The g. o. p. is
utterly demoralized throughout the coun-
try; the President doesn't seem tc know
whether he is ''afoot or a horseback
Blaine, Butterworth and Hit are talk
ing free trade, while Crazy Horse Nc
Kinley is vainly 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, in which the Repub-
lican leaders and newspapers indulged
two years ago, the existing situation
would be inexpressibly absurd, if 1t
we're not fraught with such dire peril to
the country. indianapolis Sentinel