The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1890-06-18
KING CAUCUS TRIUMPHS.
Republican Tariff RefOrmers Afraid ia
Vote Their Honest Sentiments.

Republican Tariff RefOrmers Afraid to
Vote Their Honest Sentiments.
During the debate on the Mckinley
bill Mr.. Benjamin Butterworth (Rep.)
of Cincinnati said:
regret that the members OF the ways and
means committee have taken up all the limited
time of the House with amendments to the ex-
clusion Of that free conference which was neces
sary. We have not had time to secure a con.
sensrs Of opinion even on this side Of the House
to enable US to legislate intelligently for the
good Of the country. Iregret that SO important
q measure should be seemingly in the control
of a minority of a majority for do not believe
that the ark of the Republican covenant was
by any high demand Of the Republican party
placed in the keeping OF few.
This is true. 1t is a case where a
minority, active, energetic and UNI
scrupulous, under the control of the
Eastern manufacturers, has coerced and
dragooned disunited, inert majority,
each of whose members wanted the bill
to fail and each of whom was afraid to
vote against it. A disciplined minority,
claiming to be the sole authorized ex-
FOUNDER of the party creed on the tariff
question, a minority which has behind
it, pushing it on and keeping 1t up to
its work, the sharkish plutocrats of the
East, who are greedy for larger profits,
and who do not care what becomes of
the consumer or the Republican party
so that they get the plunder-such
minority, so inspired by the free use Of
the words treason and TRAITORS" by
the vague terrors Of the caucus and the
lash of the party whip, has forced a
faint-hearted majority, which had not
the courage of its convictions, to betray
the interests of its own constituents and
do the will of the bull-dozers.
A majority of the Republican mem.
ley bill is wrong as whole and in most
of it's parts. They know that its pas
sage will be unwelcome to their con-
stituents and will work them grievous
harp, and yet they voted for it. They
did so in the hope that the Senate will
either shelve it or so amend it as to take
the wickedness out oft. They hoped fur
ther thatif those tactics which succeed.
ed in the House succeed in the Senate
and the bill passes there the President
will brain the abortion with his veto.
How much better it would be for the
country and for themselves If these
| Western members had less hope and
more courage. Had they the manhood
to vote what they believed the Nation
would not have seen for the first
time in it's history the spectacle in a
time of profound peace, with no impend'
ing hostilities, with no heavy war debt
pressing down on the revenues, with a
great surplus in the treasury, with an
overlooking revenue and no need for adj.
ditional money, of Congress passing a
bill so increasing the tariff duties as to
make them almost prohibitory and to
add hundreds of millions year to the
burdens of American consumers when
they had for years been clamoring for
relief and declaring that the duties al.
ready imposed on them were too griev'
GUS to be borne.
This is what comes of protection
majority allowing itself to be bulldozed
and overawed by tariff prohibition
minority which is seeking to impose on
the party creed which it has never
adopted. -Chicago Tribune (Rep.).