New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-03-30
THE SMALL STATES ~ THE SENhiE'

Now il is the Frce-Tradc plea that the Senate
is controlled by ProtectionistS Only because OF
the small States. Ten OF tho smaller hePup-
lican States arc contra>tcd with ten OF the small
or Democratic States, though from the la'ter
Delaware is carefully omitted and great eX-
cess Of popula,on in the Democratic states APP
pcars. The fact that nine ont of the ten Demo
cratic States had men in the Rebel Army, ana
are Democratic to-day principally because they
liked rebellion thirty years ago, is not men
toned.
The small state argument has been raiSeo
MANY times against the party which ns'ialiS mas
the sympathy and help OF the most entefprlSlhg
and rapidly growing communities. 1t happens
10 have peculiar force Just now. because >iA
States were for long time kept ont OF the
Union by Democratic pariSanShp' ana now
come in with strong objection to Democracy
But each of them is so rapidly growing that III
all probability il will he out Of the list OF snail
States before another decade has passed
The little Sta,rS Of Delaware and Florida
have long balanced the little states OF vermont
and Rhode Island. though having the smaller
oopula-i,n. Colorado and Oregon, which were
called little States ten years ago. are now fairly
out OF inc lSl am IipIiI. N''"'"r' ~ ''
the one and only Western state which has nc:
justified by its growth the expectations enter
tanned when il was admitted and in that case
the preponderatinG interest IN ana dopchuth"
mon mining deposits that have been worked out
is the obvious cause Not one oi the new states
admitted this ycal j. in like manner dependent
on mining alone OF mainly and there Is no one
who expects that the growth OF either OF these
will prove disappointing.
Territorial representation in the senate j. u
favorite subject Of criticism to those who fancy
that the population of to-day or OF ye>terda.
is the only element that ought TO be represented
in government But those who framed the
Constitution of the United States did not agree
with the Mugwumps of this generation. They
believed territorial representation IN one
house as important to the general welfare as a
representation of population in the other Nor
is il hard to understand why. They looked to
the Senate to check those sudden, cXtrayaaant
| and foolish vagaiieS of popular feeling which
have proved the ruin of so many experiments
| in self government. They had enough fore
sight 10 realize that such freaks of temper would
| be felt more often in densey populated states
| than in those having more scattered and sparse
| population.
The wisdom Of the trainers OF the ConSttu-
| ton has Il new illustration within the last year.
| WEAKNESS. ignorance, petuancc. miSconcepton
and above all reaty disposition to try some
| thing new caused last fall just one OF those
sudden and il-considcrcd overtuiningS which
are liable to make the policy of sef-goyernin2
people unsteady and untruStworthy. II the vote
of November were to decide. thirty years Of Labor
| in building up Nation indus;rlally independent
and more powerful than any other would be
thrown away. with no more thought than "a child
takes in dropping one toy for another. The
| Trainers of the Constitution builded more wise
| IT, Complete reversal Of the Nations policy
| can only come when the people show by dclib-
crate and successive votes that their decision i
matured and final. I'm this instance the little
new States, so long excluded by Democratic
dishonesty, proved tho anchor that enabled the
| Senate 10 ride ont the storm, and to-day no sane
man imagnes that many of the States which
voted against RepublicaniSm last fall will do 81
again next year.