Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1890-06-12
THE TARIFF BILL VOTE.

Republican iH-ReformeTs Afraid g.
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 mp all the limited
time of the House with amendments to the
clusiop Of that free conference which was nece8-
sary. We have not had time to secure con-
sensus Of opinion even on this side of the House
to enable US to legislate inteiligently for tho
good OF the country. regret that so important
measure should be seemingly In the control
OF 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 q few.
This is true. 1t is case where .
minority, active, energetic and UNI
scrupulous, under the control of the
Eastern manufacturers, has coerced and
dragooned a 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, minority which has behind
it. pushing it on and keeping it up to
its work, the sharkish plutocrats of the
East, who are greedy for larger profits,
the consumer or the Republican party
so that they get the plunder-such q
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
faint-hearted majority. which had not
the courage of its convictions, to betray
the interests of it's own constituents and
do the will of the bull-dOzerS.
A majority Of the Republican men,
beers of the House know that the McKin.
ley bill is wrong as whole and in most
of its parts They know that its pas
sage will be unwelcome to their con-
stituents and will work them grievous
harm, 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 of it. They hoped fur
ther that if 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 its 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
bill so increasing the tariff duties as TO
make them almost prohibitory and to
add hundreds of millions a 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 a 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.).