The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1891-12-09
THE ERECTION OF CRISP.

The election OF Crisp over Mills means
more than appears on the surface. In point
of service Mills is the senior of the two.
Crisp was n comparatively unknown men,
her when Mills was made Chairman of the
Ways and Means Committee by Speaker
Carlisle. The retirement of Carlisle left
Mills the leader of the House and the
natural candidate for Speaker. Why then
has Mills been set aside and the leadership
given TO a subordinate? a short answer to
this question would be that the New York
Democratic leaders did not believe that the
Democratic party could succeed in the next
Presidential election on the Cleveland
Mills free-trade platform. 1t is true that
Mills modified his tariff view just before the
election, but il is equally true that speeches
are in print that could not be reconciled
with his eleYenth-hour profession OF repent
auce. The defeat of Mills is a signal for
retreat of the whole party from the position
on the protection policy which the Demo-
cratic party occupied in the campaign of
1888. The logical sequence Of this defeat
of Mills will be the defeat of Cleveland in
the Democratic National Convention. 1t is
quite possible that the Cleveland Mills
forces may prove stronger in the convention
than in Congress, but the present indica-
lions are that the Hill-Gorman ring will
control the convention. 1t does not follow
that either Hill or German will be the can
ddate. There is a small element in the
party in New York that would not sup
port Hill should he be nominated in
1892; but in 1896 their grievances will
be four years older. HllPs term in
the Senate covers the next Presidential
term, and be is far-sighted enough 10 sec
the advantage of giving the West the candI-
date in 1892. While Crisp is not an avowed
prOtectienist, he is supported by all the pro-
tectoniSts in the party. He has advocated
a reduction of duties. but has never gone
beyond the point which includes incidental
protection. The Charleston Netgs and COu-
rier comes pretty close to the truth when it
says that the election of Crisp as Speaker
would be regarded as a concession to the
protection wing of the party, not because
Mr.. Crisp is personally opposed to a revision
of the tariff, but because ne would be elected
as the special favorite of the old Sam Ran
dali Democrats and could not be elected
without their support. 1t appears, there
fore, that the Democrats are about to repeat
their old experiment of climbing upon the
Republican platform and declaring that.
with some modification which they propose
TO make, it is their own. With the Ceve-
land Mills wing of the party in the ascend
ency the Republicans would at least have
known where to find their opponents. For
the very reason that the Republicans would
have preferred the Cleveland Mills wing as
their opponent, the Democrats decline to go
into the contest under such leadership.
There would not be much doubt Of the re-
suit of contest with Tree trade or protec-
ton as the vital issue. and the most saga
cious Democratic leaders seem well aware
of the fact. From this time on Democratic
journals will devote their energies to the
task of showing that with little Demo-
cratic trimming the Mckinley tariff is good
enough for them.