Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1891-03-25
The Fifty-First Congress.

The Fifty-First Congress.
The ffty-frst Congress, so far as
history takes account of it, will be
likely to be known as one in which
the leaders of great and powerful
party plucked defeat from the jaws Of
victory. Coming again into possess
ion of the Government which, after a
quarter of a century of uninterrupted
and almost unthreatened tenure, had
been lost by the only election in our
annals that turned chiefly on the issue
of naked corruption, the Republican
managers had singular opportunity
to regain the confidence of the people,
to correct the errors and purge the
impurity of its past, to establish its
known policy, against which the
country has not yet revolted, within
moderate limits, and to adjust its or
ganization to the clearly. defined re-
quirements of popular opinion and
the obvious conditions of the national
life. The victory of 1888, so far as
that issue was decided by popular
opinion, Individually came from the
general belief that the tariff would be
revised, that its inequalities would be
corrected, and that protective duties,
no longer needed, or resting plainly
on the materials of industry, would
be abolished or materially reduced.
No honest and sensible observer could
fail to see that the decision of the
country was not that the tariff should
be maintained, much less than it
should be increased, but that its re-
vision and reduction should be intrust.
ed to the friends rather than to those
who were believed to be the enemies
Of the protective principle and Of the
industries that had grown under it, if
not in consequence of it.
Every wish and purpose of the peo-
pie manifested in the election was
ignored or violated. First came the
famous Customs Administration bill,
which, under the pretense of correct
ing abuses, multiplied them, abolished
every safeguard of the citizens as to
fairness or iberaity, deprived them
of the constitutional appeal to the
courts, and aggravated many fold the
exactinnS and vexations If the tariff
while actually increasing many duties
and Nv changes in the mode If c"li'r-
IL u making many other practically
prnhibiiury Following this cam"
the Mckinley bill not only famous
but infamous--which accomplished
everything the monopolists wished
and refused everything the people
had desired and authorized 1t heavi-
" increased the cost Of living and
of doing business. Ii taxed the nee.
essaries and common comforts of the
poor or the moderately prosperous,
while touching tenderly the commodi-
ties consumed by the rich. 1t bur
dened industry by duties on materials
and machinery, and barred the way
to the growing export trade of the
country. A more Ubiquitous and
more stupid measure has rarely been
devised and never enacted.
AS if this we're not enough to satisfy
the insane temper of the majority, the
Force bill was rushed through the
House in the first session and blocked
legislation in the Senate in the Sec
ond. 1t was monstrous with injustice
and corruption, and even more mon
strous for its utter folly, its disregard
of public sentiment, and its defiance
of the public right to have that senti-
ment respected. In the meanwhile
the majority perfected series of arbi-
trary measures. 1t unseated enough
elected Democrats to consolidate its
power. It opened the doors of the
Treasury to all sorts of claimants and
subsidy seekers. It changed its rules
so as to deprive the minority of time
honored rights and to confer upon the
Speaker the almost unlimited powers
of dictator. By the elections Of last
November the proud and reckless
majority was swept from power. and
only bare fourth Of the House was
spared for the next Congress. But it
cannot be said that the, terrible lesson
was needed. The second session has
been as bad as the first-in some re-
spects worse. The most extravagant
subsidy scheme has partially failed,
but food Of minor jobs threaten the
Treasury with deficit. The Force
bill was defeated only at the cost of