New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-12-21
TILE DEMOCRATIC RCPTURE.

Speaker Crisp has invited Mr.. Mills to take
the second place On the Committee OF Ways
and Means and Mr. Mills has declined stating
that. as he had been chairman of that COM
mittee, the reasons which prevented the Speaker
from offering him that place were, in his judg-
ment, sufficient to prevent his being of service
ON the committee at all. Thereupon many Demo
cratic newspapers are filed with excited COM
mens on the rupture in the party, the obstinate
wrong medicines of the Speaker, and the dis
creditable bargain which, it is asserted, placed
Mr. Crisp in the chair and will place Mr.. Springer
at the head of the Committee of Ways and
Means.
There seems to be no room for doubt that Mr..
Springer when he assured the nomination OF Mr..
Crisp, made good terms for himself and his
friends. If he stipulated that he should have the
Craftsmanship of the best committee in the House.
and that the policy of the committee and OF the
party should be such as he had advocated, he
surely had right to demand for himself per-
sonaily, and for the line OF action which he
deemed wisest all the consideration he could
extort from candidate who was beaten with
out his aid. The friends of MIR. Mills had made
some very unpleasant remarks about Mr.
Springer, alleging that his running for Speaker
was species of treachery to the cause OF tariff
reform. 1t does not seem strange that these
attacks are now resented, even to the extent
Of shutting Mr.. Mills out OF the committee on
which he had served long and TO his party most
acceptably.
This is not a mere quarrel between individ-
uals if it were the Democratic party could re-
gard it with Indifference. 1t is at bottom a
battle between opposing lines of policy. Mr..
Crisp and his friends believe that the tariff
issue cannot be pressed with advantage, or even
with safety, at this session OF Congress- Mr.
Springer agrees with them 50 far that he is OPP
posed to the preparation of any general tariff
bill. But Mr. Mills and his friends believe that
it is rinous and treacherous to the party to push
into the background the one issue upon which
Mr.. Cleveland made his fight three years ago,
and which, they say, secured their victories last
year. The Mills wing counts upon the tariff
issue to insure the reelection OF many members
in Northern districts, and realizes that the sill
yer question would only do them harm. But
the Crisp wing needs the silver question to save
many Southern members from overthrow by the
Farmers Alliance, and holds that the tariff qups
ton would involve ifefeat. On both sides it is
fight for life and death, politically, and the
Cleveland Mills wing has at present the worst
Of it.
The Republicans are ready to meet either issue,
or both issues. They are persuaded that the tariff
question will insure them success in the manu-
featuring States and az Jne West, where the re-
moval of the duties Oh sugar and the increased
duties on wool and other farm products are ap-
precated. They want nothing better than a
straight contest on the silver question in New
York and New England and feel satisfied that in
Southern States the Democrats can only hold their
own on that question, while losing at the East
Had MIR. Mills been elected Speaker, the tariff
question would have been made the only issue
in the coming campaign, and the money ques-
ton would have been sent to the rear For Re-
publicans it was much better that the Demo-
cratic party preferred to put it's worst end fore
most and after some months have been wasted
in the discussion of fragmentary tariff bills, it
will be in order for the Democrats to explain
why they have not yet maze any attempt to re-
peal the Mckinley tariff, which they profess
to consider so oppressive and odious. The fact
is that the measure is already much too strong
to be assailed with success, and it is growing
more popular every day.