The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1892-12-13
TIME WILL SHOW.

OLlS VI UhO L4OSO III OIC41O44S GIL
cratic papers in the country, gives the
following editorial estimate of the
work the next Congress will have to
do and the difficulties that will attend
the efforts. We give it, believing that
all our readers, without regard to
party, will be interested:
"The Democrats at last have control
of the government, and now the cues
ton that exercises the thinking men of
the country is, what will they do with
it? The Democratic platform and the
Democratic national candidates have
received the endorsement of an over
whelming majority of the electorate of
the United States, will the Democratic
Congress give effect to the wishes of the
| people thus expressed? We confess
that in the light of the history of the
present Congress we ponder the ques-
ton with grave misglvlng.
THE Democratic party In it's plat
form and by it's choice of a candidate
| for the Presidency is pledged to a pol
icy of retrenchment of expenses, re-
| duction of taxation, and home rule.
These three grand divisions, distinct.
yet interdependent, embrace all that
there Is in the great Democratic policy
of reform, the policy which has been
promised by the party, and which is
demanded by the people. We have put
retrenchment of expenditures first, be-
cause unless the policy of reform is
carried out in this particular any at
tempt at reduction of taxation or the
re establishment of home rule must be
more or less Ineffective. And it is as to
retrenchment Of expenses that, in the
light of the transactions of the present
Congress, there is most ground for
anxiety.in regard to the policy of the
next Congress, composed in great
measure of the same material.
There is no doubt that the Demo
cratic majority in the new House will
be eager to reform the tariff, to reduce
taxation and to restore to the States
their full measure of freedom from I'm
necessary Federal interference, but it
will not be able to do these things as
they ought to be done, unless it is pre-
pared to accept the loss of that party
and personal patronage which depend
on the award of big government con:
tracts and the appointment of myriads
of Federal employees in the States. 1t
is true that in regard to the tariff the
revenue from it may be in many ca Ses
increased by a reduction of the rate of
| duty, but Congress cannot devise any
plan that will reduce taxation accord
ing to the demands of the people so
long as it is hampered by the necessity
of providing a billion of dollars for ex
penses every two years. The Demo
cratic majority in the coming Congress
cannot adOp5 the policy of the present
Congress and say the Republicans have
set a pace which it is obliged to follow.
To reduce that pace is the special pur
pose for which il has been sen to
| Washington.
THE next Congress will occupy a
more independent position than the
present, and therefore is to be held to a
greater degree of responsibility. The
Democratic majority in the present
Congress has excuses for weakness,
vacillatiOn and ineficiency, which will
not avail the newly elected House. In
the first place it was hampered by the
knowledge that no measure it could
agree upon had any chance of becom-
ing law, and members naturally felt
reluctant to sacrifice their individual
opinions for the sake of q party una
nimity that could be of no avail. To
this obstacle to concerted action was
added the unwieldly size of the major,
ity itself. The coming House will be
sure of the endorsement of all honest
measures of reform by the Senate and
the President. The Democratic ma
jority, while not 50 large as at present,
Is quite large enough to prevent Re.
publican obstruction. The Democrats
In Congress have the opportunity to
work that revolution in the govern
ment for which the people yearn. To
MAKE 1T 0 government which exists for
the people, not a government for
which the people exist.
"Wiu Congress rise to the occasion9
Does 1t contain enough patriots to con-
troll the politicians whose views of all
measures are governed by the uues-
tions? How much government money
will it put In my districts How much
will it add to my influence? We hope
for the best. We count much on the
influence of Mr.. Cleveland, and of those
prominent Democrats who have stood
by tariff reform in the present Con-
gress and who have been reelected.
We are not prepared to elaborate any
special scheme of reduction of expenses
beyond the general line already limited.
dismissal of useless Federal officers,
and reduction of lavish expenditure OF.
public works. Those Congressmen who
see the necessity of this policy and who
have been entrusted with the response
blllty must devise some practicable
scheme of reduction of expenses. and
we believe they will, and that Mr..
Cleveland's influence will be used for
its adoption. That such a policy will
be adopted by Congress we hope, while
we doubt. But of one thing we are
convinced, that if the SD Congress is:
a billion dollar Congress some new.
party will be successful in 1896"
THE "POWER OF THE PRESS
IS THE NJ POMEEp