New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-08-08
THE SITT4TION CHANGED.

The relative position Oh pdIIoS mas ~
greatly changed by the action OF congress
Probably mot men, certainly almost all active
politicians will for time undclrate the extent
and influence of this change While IL Is not
de ,irabe to promote Over-conhdence among ne
publicans. il is important that they should real
i've promptly what advantages Democratic IN
canacitv and misbehavor have conferred upon
them.
Most ncople sec at once that the outcry about
the Billion Congress is weapon which has los'
nont and edge. Democrats cannot afford TO
call nublic attention to the fact that the largest
Democratic majority ever known in the House
has voted away more money than any other
Congress. no matter by what party controlled
has ever voted But some do not see that IN
roarlv three quarters of the districts Democratic
and Alliance members will be forced to defend
their own conduct, and thus to bring home the
matter to the attention OF voters. some OF
them are saying already, ''thes previous Con-
cress has forced us to appropriate enormous
SIMS" Voters who have any intelligence know
that this is net true but if it were, what is to
be said of the dishonesty and falsehood OF men
who promised constituents that the Democrats
would cut off 500. 100000 or more, and who
made these public promises after the character
of laws and appropriations by the last Congress
was known? If their present excuse is good
these men were guilty of deliberate lying in
order TO get office.
II Is evident enough that the Democratic ma
iority in the House did not dare to tackle tho
task of tariff repeal or tariff revision. The eX-
cuse members make. that no bill of repeal or
general revision could be passed, is proved to
be a fraudulent excuse for not one of the hole
punching bills which the House did pass ever
came to vote in the Senate, nor did Demo
Gratis in that body make any effort TO BRING
those bills TO n vote. They were expected 10
die without any action in the Senate, and thus
il becomes plain that these bills were passed
only because the rampant freetrade sentiment
of the party demanded something done, and the
House did not dare to repeal the Mckinney Act
or TO commit itself 10 definite revision. Failure
TO attempt repeal is admission that the new act
as a whole is preferred by the people to the act
which it superseded and they well may prefer
if. since il takes off much of the taxation they
formerly bore and builds up new industries
without making products more costly to CON
sumcrs This failure puts the Democratic party
into bad position about the tariff. Free
Traders see that it has been inSincere and cow
ardlv. Profcctionists see that the prejudice
and ignorance. the sectonalism and the attach
ment to foreign theories, which sway the great
majority of the party, make 1t dangerous 10
American industries.
On the silver question the party has done even
worse Its large majority has been thwalted
by a minority. confessedly for the purpose OF
avoiding action until after the Presidential cleo
ton. This must mean one of two things
either desire to defraud the people by getting
a victory under false pretences in certain states
or a deliberate intention treacherousy to betray
the silver men by deferring action until a Presi-
dent can be elected WHO may veto all their bills
for four years. When party starts ont to
cheat one of two sides it invariably oifends
many straightforward men on both Closely
connected with this is the refusal TO give even
the empty compliment of consideration to any
of the Farmers Alliance bills whether for a
Sub-Trcasury. or loans on land, for seizure of
railroads and tflegraphs or for increase of the
circulation to $50 per capita or more Inc
party wasted eight months in talking, mostly
about nothing but did not dare TO talk single
week or day about these bills, because 1t wanted
to be able 10 pretend that IL would 90 every
thing desired as soon as it could.
1t seems scarcely possible that the Democrats
can escape serious losses in some of the states
through the open hostility Of the Alliance.
Already in Minnesota the projected fusion has
been abandoned and in other Western States
it is admitted that the two parties cannot be
worked in double harness but if the Alliance has
n separate ticket it is liable to draw largely from
the Democrats and to lose Republican support
ers At the South all hope OF preventing sep
arate tickets seems to be vain, and it would not
be surprising if the Democrats should lose cleo
toral votes usually considered safe. In short
the Democratic House has done what it could
to render Republican success more easy.
SOMETHING CONCRETE.