Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1892-08-25
Absolute Do-Nothing Policy
Pursued by the Democracy
in Congress.
Feeble and Frivolous Attempts
Made to Puncture the Nc
Kinley 7 ariff Act.
Picayune Economy and Reck-
less Extravaganza Describe
the Record of the Dem
oCratiC House.

Not one measure above the dignity
of rye straw will mark the annals Of
the house of representatives of the fifty
second congress. In history it will pre-
sent all the dead level OF a Dutch
landscape with all it's Windmills but
without trace of its beauty and fer
tllity. The only picturesque object
which will break the sky line will b.
Mr.. Holman, dIaped as a statue of
economy, standing on the railroad
crowned summit of the Lawrenceburg
embarrassment trying in vain with a
Bpy-glass to find any trace of the river
the embanllment was intended to con-
fine. Indiana, however, and the ap-
preparation, will be in full vieW.-
Thomas B. Reed in the North American
Review for August.
The first session of the fifty -secOnd
congress has just come to a close and
1t is meet and proper to glance over
its record and see what truth there
may be in Mr.. Reeds caustic arraign-
ment. When the plain people ''arOse
in their might in the fall of 1890 and
elected n house OF representatives Dem
ocratic by a strength of three to one,
they had a right to expect great things
from the all powerful aggregation OF
statesmen thus chosen. Great reforms
had been promised and there was moth
ing to prevent house made up of 23S
democrats, S independents and only 90
republicans from bringing about III
manner of democratic reforms.
The infamous war tariff" as eX-
emplified by the Mckinley bill. was to
be wiped out of existence. What did
the reformers accomplish in that direc-
ton? A timid, half-hearted attack re-
suited in a bill placing wool on the free
list and reducing the industries on
wooden manufactures. another placing
listcotOn bagging, cotton ties gins and
cotton bagging machinery or the free
list and a third removing the duty on
binding Irvine. These bills passed the
house but have pigeon-holed in the SEN
ate
More interesting still was the action of
the house, on the silver question. The
coinage committee was friendly to free
coinage-the free silver men having or
gained the house-and free silver
bill was quickly reported.
The appropriations are over $500, 900,
900 as against $463, 900, 0O0, and in or
der to make the faintest pretense of
economy the worlds fair appropriation
has been scaled down to $2,500,0A0
and not q single public building bill has
been passed. Picayune economy and
reckless extravaganza describes the re
cord of the democrat house in the mat
ter Of appropriations.
If we except the Chinese exclusion
bill, not measure of national interest
has been enacted. On every measure
relating to the tariff or the overwhelm-
ing democratic majority has been hope
lessly divided against itself. 1t prom
ised tariff reduction and these pitiful
bills are intended solely for the benifit
of Sothern planters and another for tie
benefit of Eastern Woolen manufactu-
rers at the expense of Western, wool
growers comprised the sum total Of
its feeble efforts in that direction.
In short, during all this session Of
eight months not q single thing has the
three to one democratic house done in
fullfllment of the pledges upon which
it was elected. The Mckinley bill re-
mains intact and has not even been
seriously assailed; promised economy
has been forgotten and riotous extra
vagance has been the order of the day:
our currency laws are unaltered and
all that the house has done, or attem-
ted, in relation to that subject has been
OF such hysterical character as to
shake the confidence of the business
world without bringing a grain of
comfort to the believers in free coinage.
A more utterly fruitless session than
the one just closed is not recorded in
the history Of this government. AS
Mr.. Reed writes in his Introductory pa
ragraphS:
When the house of representatives OF
the fifty-second congress met, it met
as mob. and has kept up that inter
esting form Of organization ever since
OF course, the republican leaders could
have driven the enemy into compact
shape. covered them with reproach IS
forced them to train, and otherw .se
have made an army of them. Their
there would have been much glory
won by the said leaders among the uis
thinking, but the exhibition would have