Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1892-08-25

The house has illustrated in it's tariff
legislation that fundamental doctrine
of the democratic party, that all taxa
lions should be for public purposes and
so levied us to impose its lightest touch
upon the necessaries of life. 1t goes
without saying that were the demo-
cratic party in control of the executive
and both branches of the legislative
departments of the government among
its first acts would be the repeal of the
Mckinley tariff. Confronted, how
ever, with a hostile senate and execu-
tive we have been constrained to con-
tent ourselves with efforts to repeal
some of the most pernicious and oner-
GUS features Of that law, and even
those measures Of relief have not been
accorded hearing OF consideration by
the Senate.
We have passed bills reducing duties
on tin plate to cent per pound after
the LIST of October Of the present year
and putting this article of prime neces-
sity upon the free list two years there
after. We have passed /: bill for the
benefit of the cotton farmers and la
borers, admitting free of duty bagging
for cotton, machinery for manufacture
ing bagging: cotton ties and cotton
gins.
We passed bill admitting free of
duty any ores containing silver and
lead in which the value of the silver is
in excess of the value of the lead.
We have passed a bill forbidding
tourists from importing free Of duty
wearing apparel and other personal
effects into the United States exceed
ing 500 in value.
We have passed a bill placing binding
Irvine. all article of agricultural neces-
sity, upon the free list.
And finally we have passed bill re-
moving the duty from wool and reduc-
| ing the duties on wooden goods more
than one-half of the present schedule
rate.
This last measure is of paramount
Importance, inasmuch as it deals with
an article of universal and commanding
necessity, an article which under the
present law bears about one-tenth Of
all the taxes imposed for the support Of
the government of the United States.
STEAMSHIP SUBSIDIES REPEALED.
A bill has been reported by the COM
mittee on post-otllces and post roads
repeating the act Of the last Congress
which provides enormous subsidies to
certain ocean steamship lines. This
bill has beeu favorably reported but has
not yet been reached on the calendar.
| The house has also endeavored to pass
q bill providing for the election of
UnitedStates senators by the people but
action Oh this measure was defeated by
the dilatory tactics Of the republican
party minority.
The record Of the democratic house
in reference to these measures and some
others which have not been passed by
/ this body is in favorable contrast to
! the record made by the last republican
congress. This house has not attempt
ed to enact a force bill" OF any other
measure to take from the people the
right to control and supervise their ell
ections and give that authority to the
federal judiciary backed by the military
power Of the general government.
We have not sought to control cleo
tions by giving that control to lifetime
officers appointed by the president. We
believe in the integrity and patriotism
of the people and distrust all measures
which look to federal marshals or fede-
raj bayonets. The liberties OF the peo-
pie would be put in jeopardy if the fed
eral government should be clothed
with power to register, count and GER
tify, "as demanded by ex-speaker Reed.
THE FORCE BILL.
The force bill, us the country knows,
passed the house at the first session of
the Fifty-first congress, and but for the
patriotic efforts Of the democratic SEN
ators, aided by small republican mi
nority in the senate, would now be the
law under which the approaching pres
ident7al campaign would be conducted.
1t was hoped that with the defeat of
that monstrous proposition by the sen-
ate at it's last session no further at
tempts would be made to enact into a
law a measure so vicious, so arbitrary
and so revolutionary. It was therefore
with profound regret that read in the
republican platform recently adopted
at Minneapolis the declaration of re-
lentless purpose by the republican party
to press this measure to a successful
issue should that party again be in
trusted with the conerol of the execu-
tive and legislative branches of the
government.
! This declaration leaves no doubt as
to the purpose Of the republican party
L We accent the defiant cballapro of A.,