Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1891-03-19
HARRISON'S ADMINISTRATION.
What Two Years of Republican Rule
Have Done for the Country.

What Two Years of Republican Rule
Have Done for the Country.
President Harrison's administration
has reached it's middle term. He sue
ceeded a president who was compare
lively new to the country and without
experience in the national service, but
whose personality was incisive, and
who had done more than any other man
in his party to restore it to national
confidence and to give it a national
policy. President Harrison's personal
ity has not impressed the country. He
was familiar with the national service,
he was party leader in his state. and
his grandfather had been president.
He was regarded as trusty party man.
not brilliant, but very sensible, VINO
would make a safe if not daShing chief
magistrate. His election was accom-
plished under circumstances which
plainly suggested to the opposition
bargains and corruption" as that of
Mr.. Cleveland had suggested to the OPP
position suppression of suffrage in
parts of the southern states. The house
of representatives elected with Mr.. Har-
rison made Mr.. Reed speaker. The SEN
ate was already republican, and the ad-
mini stration was wholly in the control
of that party. The administration
opened with the usual partisan de-
vastation of that part of the civil SER
vice to which the reform law does not
apply. The two great party measures
proposed were a new tariff and ma
tioral election bill, and party fury was
stimulated by the extraordinary con-
duct of the speaker of the house in as
Sarfin6r aS-fra oil arh anI
tionable powers.
The session of congress continued I'M
til late in the autumn. The chief in
terest was the tariff debate with the
passage of the tariff and the dis
cussion of the election bill These re-
vealed the fact that Secretary Blaine
differed from other party leaders upon
the kind of tariff legislation that was
desirable, and represented an important
difference in the party; and they re-
vealed also that the election bill was
not warmly supported by the party
| press, and was condemned by a large
body of the party. The debate on the
election BILL and the evident republic
an opposi ton to it in the senate, led to
the suggestion of the introduce
ton of the previous question
into the senate, not as a perma
| nent modification of the rules, but as a
| temporary expedient to pass a particu-
lar bin which the country had apparent
| " condemned. Meanwhile the general
course of events had not favorab bly, i'm
pressed the country. The circumstances
| of the appointment of the postmaster
general, the ''clean sweep of his assist
ant, which is no longer an agreeable
| performance to the national good sense,
| the extravagances of the new tariff,
| the performances of the speaker, the
dislike of the election bill, the admis-
| sion of mining camps as states, and
the consequent strengthening of dan
| gerOuS finance al schemes, a general
| partisan recklessness and sordid tone,
| accompanied with criticism of the po-
| litical opposition as public enemies
| these things and such as these dis
| turbed and alienated the public mind
| until the autumn election
The result of the election was an I'M
| precedented popular rebuke of the adj
ministration. The house was lost by a
| great ma jority. ! Even republican Mass
achusetts elected a democratic COVER
| nor. The author of the tariff bill,
| whose name it bore, was defeated.
| Politically the election was disastrous
| rOut for the administration. Judged by
| republican canOns, it was a decisive
popular verdict against the tariff, and a
| ''mandate'' to withdraw the election
! bill. But when congress assembled the
| election bill was urged to the exclusion
| of other business, and with an effort to
| pass a closure act to secure its passage.
! It was strenuOusly resisted. and finally
baffied by bolt of republicans: and a
| similar bolt secured in republican
| senate the passage of faee silver coin
| age bill, and alarmed the entire bust
ness community of the country with the
| apprehension of general disaster To
complete the tale, the secretary of the
| and convincing protest against the
| financial policy which nothing but
| the votes of his own party friends in
| congress and the assent of the president
| could make law. During the weeks
| following the election, also, the Indian
troubles drew general attention to the
| long and fragrant mismanagement of
| Indian affairs, which, although not be-
| ginning with this administration, has
not been radically improved under it.
| SO the adla .nistration reaches its mid
| die term, and he must be an enthusiast
| who supposes that it has strengthened
| its party or secured the confidence of
the country. It's advocates may argue
| that it has done quite as well as any
| other would have done. But they must
be aware that a party in power is
| judged by its own conduct, not by the
| possible conduct of the opposition
Harper's Weekly.