New-York tribune., 1891-12-30
THE VOTERS WHO ARE IN DOUBT

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on the part of Eastern Democratic papers to lg-
more silver coinage and other phases of the
money question as far as possible, and to report
that Speaker Crisp and the Democratic majority
in the House will be found quite as Jealous III
tho business of tariff smashing as Mr.. Mills ana
his friends. This is a recognition OF the 1&t
that the Democratic party gets an essential part
Of its strength in some Eastern States from those
who are irreconcilably hostile TO fat money, to
free coinage, and to the tendency OF the Demo
cratic party as to all monetary questions, ana
who have no sympathy with the dSioyaIty OF
that party, or with its habitual resort to force
and fraud in order to defeat the popular Will, but
who arc drawn to support it only because ol
their own personal interest i'll The Importation
Of foreign goods or their theoretical hostility to
the Protective Tariff.
J'pdoubtedly there is a large number Of such
voters. 1t has never seemed to The TRIBUNE
wise to ignore the fact that the Protective sys-
TEN has a great body of sincere and patnouc
opponents who really think they are doing good
service for their country by lighting against that
system While another large body Oh voters
and workers HIS direct personal interest In
opening the doors as widely As psslble to the
importation of foreign goods, and cannot be re-
garded as patriotic American citizens in any true
sense, there ale beyond doubt many thousand
voters whose opposition 10 the present tarllf Is
entirely sincere and patriotic and who act win
the Democratic party in recent elections only
because in that matter they hope that the coun-
try may be benefited by its succer..
These citizens are not Democrats ia spirit or
in character. They were not supporters OF human
slavery before the Civil War They were not
in sympathy with the Rebellion during the war.
They did not want the National debt repudiateG
nor public creditors robbed by any kind of bad
faith on the part of the Government. They
were not in favor Of fiat money in 1875, and
they arc not in favor Of unlimited silver coinage
now. They are essentially Republicans as to all
these points, and also in regard to the freedom
and purity of suffrage. 1t is to them. as it is to
all Republican voters, a matter Of the deepest
and most painful concern that sef-goyernment
is 50 often defeated by violence and fraud at
the South, and by the infamous conduct OF North
ern Democrats like Hill and his tools in this
State. They do not overlook the fact that these
crimes against sei-government are in almost
all cases pcrpetiated by the Democratic party
with intent to defeat the verdict Of the people
and to overthrow National policies which the
pcople have upheld. In spite Of all these things
this body Of citizens has been inclined to sup
oalt tho Democratic party because it has been
hostile. az they ale hostile, 10 the Protective
Tariff. But if the Democratic party should show
itself faithes., cowardly or untrustworthy on that
question they would hg,it against ii with intense
and fiery zeal. There is "a strong probability
that il will prove faithlcs' TO their convictions
and its own because il is controlled by des-
Derate place hunting and pllndar-hm ting poll
ticians who care nothing fOr.any principle what
ever.
These politicians see that the Protective Tariff
is more powerful than they have s,pphSed and
is growing mole powerful every dly. They be-
gin to doubt whether it can be safely asSailed
in Presidential election in some If the States
which are necessary b Democratic success. Hence
il is that the men who have controlled the cleo
ton OF Speaker in the House aIe inclined to
avoid the tariff issue as far as they can, ana to
restrict action in the House to u few minor
phases Of that question They propose TO have
no general Tariff bill formulated as an expression
of the will Of the party, but to ia reduce and
rass in the House short bills repeating or Ie-
ducng the duties few articles, such ~ iron
orc, wool, tin plates cotton ties, and binding
twine Their idea is that they can make the
party more popular in some of the states by
measures like those, and yet can avoid in other
States which are necessary to Democratic slIc-
cess the Odum of assaiiing the Protective sys-
TEN as a whole. But this course would be a
confession Of cowardice and bad faith. II would
be so regarded, and justly, by those voters
whose attachment to the Democratic party is
based solely upon il supposed fidelity to the
cause of tariff reform" IL is for this reason
hat the supporters of Mr.. Mills and the more
prominent Democrats who favor the nomination
OF Mr. Cleveland continue to insist that the Dem
ocratc party must bring in its Tariff blu and