Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1892-07-20
No More Billion Dollar Business.

Our Democratic friends really deserve
commiseration. One by one their roses
have faded, one by one their hopes
have decayed, until they are obliged to
20 into the presidential campaign, not
only torn asunder with internal disseL-
SionS, but with no issue except the
force bill DOGGY to bank on. They have
been knocked out at every round. The
last and worst blow that has befallen
them comes from their own, their one
hundred-and-ffty- majority Congress.
This Congress, among other great re-
forms 1t was to set on foot, was to in
augurate an era Of retreEchment and
reform. They were to do lot of other
things IN a tentative way and to make
a record as, for instance, without the
power to repeal the Mckinley bill,
they were going TO show tie partv's dis
position by passing through their one
hundred and : fifty eiority House a
sweeping and radical tariff reform meas
ure; bill that would arouse the en-
thuslasm of the Mugvumps and sound
the keynote for free trade ampaign.
Instead of which they gave the cold
shoulder to the Mugwumps and free
trade candidate for speaker, and adopt
ed the policy of tinkering. Then they
were going to put the Republicans in
hole on the silver question, which they
proposed 10 dodge with such shrewd-
ness as to have themselves facing both
ways, so as to catch the votes Of both
sides. They 'monkeyed" with that
question and got left with their "tail in
the door,"
But the issue they counted on most
the one on which the free traders and
protecti0nists, the free silver and the
honest money men, Tom, Dick and
Harry, tag-rag and bobtail, could agree
and make winning Gght-Was that Of
economy, retrenchment and reform.
Here they seemed to be in perfect ac
cord. They noWled in unison against
tie extravaganza Of the ''Billion Dol
lar Congress-" all factions united in
the cry. However much they differed
on the tariff or silver or other issues,
they agreed perfectly in arraigning tie
Fifty-frst Congress for extrayagant and
wasteful appropriations, and promising
that their new, fresh, honest, econOm-
ical One Hundred and Fifty Majority
Congress would set an example of re-
trenchment in expenditures upon
which they could confidently appeal to
the country. Without INDUCING in de-
tails or specifying the particular ex-
travagances of the Republicans, they
simply kept up the parrot cry Of "Bil-
lion Dollar Congress" and urged that
the Democratic party must be put in
control to save the country from bank
ruptcy and ruin. Every Democrat in
good standing was expected to sound
this particular alarm and keep it UP.
But the $50 Democratic majority has
lately been struggling with that crucial
test of the congressional economist and
reformer, the river and harbor bill.
Every one of the $50 has been trying to
get something for his own "deestrick, +"
and save at the same time as much
political capital as possible for the party
or the economy dodge. They have
been led by their chairman of the APP
preparations committee, the great treas
ury Watchdog, Mr.. Holman, of In
diana, whose eagerness to cut down the
appropriations for other states has been
equalled only by his anxiety to leave