The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1892-06-01
Congress and the Tariff.

the democrats carried the elections of
1890 and secured for their party a greater
preponderance in the house of represent
stives than any political organization
has ever had in that body since il had an
existence was the protest OF the American
people against the Mckinley lava
measure which, in the words of WILLIAM
J.. WILSON, is 'but vast and voluminous
system of class taxation, in which private
interests were invited and allowed TO
write their own demands upon a tax
paying people,"
The country, when it returned 235 dem
ocrats and nine farmers alliance repre-
sentativss to the house of congress, as
against but eighty-eight republicans,
confidently expected that that body would
do all that lay in its power to give the
people relief from the onerous burdens
imposed upon them by the Mckinley law
for the benefit of few favored interests.
They expected that the house would or
ganize by putting its ablest, most expe-
rienced and most aggressive tariff reform
ers to the front; that it would proceed
| Immediately to the performance Of the
great mission intrusted to it; and that,
within a reasonable time-sixty or ninety
either, by the passage of one bill or of a
series of bills. provide for the reduction Of
| the tariff to a revenue basis. That these
reasonable and just expectations have not
been realized is a source of the greatest
modification and disappointment to demo
Gratis everywhere. When the house be-
| gan Its existence by refusing the spea kerr
ship to its foremost tariff reformer the
democratic party throughout the country
was chilled. to say the least. Still the
gentleman elected speaker proclaimed his
earnest devotion to the cause of tariff re-
form, and democrats expected him to or
| gsnize the committees in the interest of
that policy. His refusal to continue Mr..
Mills at the head OF the ways and means
committee was another keen disappoint-
ment to the party, which was,
however, greatly modified by the
fact that Mr.. SPRINGER, who was
selected for that position, was
man of great ability, who had long been
active and conspicuous as tariff reformer.
Although the names OF certain prominent
tariff reformers in the house were not
/ found on the roll of the ways and means
committee. as expected, yet the compost
ton Of that committee was, as a whole
such as to command democratic approval
and arouse the liveliest and most hopeful
anticipation of sharp and vigorous cam
| paign in the house against the Mckinley
monster.
There was some democratic discussion
as to whether it would be better to attack
the Mckinley law with one bill, provid-
/ ing for a general revision of the tariff, or
with series Of bills, each dealing with
some particular article schedule. Mr..
SPRINGER announced himself in favor of
the latter program, and THE SENTINEL, in
view of the hostile attitude of the presi-
dent and senate, and for other reasons, coin
cided with him. We believed that separate
bills, each attacking some particular
| Mckinley iniquity, would answer the
democratic purpose better, perhaps, than
a general tariff bill. The senate would
have to consider each of these bills on its
merits. That body might, perchance, be
forced by public opinion to pass some of
them, in which event the people would
| get some relief or President HARRIseN
would have to assume the responsibility
of denying it to them. On the other hand,
the senate by, rejecting these bills, would
reduce the great iesue between the two
parties to certain specific propositions,
easily understood, upon which the demo
cratic party could not fail to win on an APP
peal to the country. Therefore, when Mr.
| SPRINGER proposed to make series of at
tacks upon the enemy's line at its weakest
and most exposed points, The SENTINEL
said Amen" and "GoD be with you"
Nearly six months, however, have
passed since the house assembled and
only three tariff reform bills have been
passed by that body, each one dealing
with single commodity. These are the
| bills for
Free WOOL
| Free cotton ties and
Free binding Irvine.
Righteous measures. every one OF them.
But their passage by the house does not
begin to be fulfllment OF the duty owed
by that body to the country. The ways
and means committee has also reported
bills for
Free timed plate and
Free lead ore.
These bills should be taken up and
i nassed at once There ara hills oandino