The morning news., 1892-01-12
&c remoorntic Prorramme.

AAe L6hOEA E1A-4A-AGs
It seems to be pretty well settled that
I this congress will not attempt 70 pass a bill
providing for general reduction Of the
tariff. It may be that a general
tariff bill will be introduced into the House.
but If one should be it would not be given
much attention by the ways and means
committee. But there will be no backward
step with respect TO tariff reform. 1t is be-
/ coming more and more evident that the
/ great issue in the presidential contest this
year viii be tariff reform. Mr.. Springer,
/ the chairman Of the ways and means com
mittee, proposes 70 make the position OF the
Democratic party with respect to
the tariff clear by means Of a
number Of tariff bills. He has
already mentioned a number OF articles
upon which he purposes 10 ask for a reiuc-
tion of the tariff and he will soon be pre-
pared to increase the list.
A general tariff bill would have no
chance for passing the Senate. and Mr..
Springer, therefore, concluded that it
would be only waste of time to bring for
ward such bill. 1t is true that there Is
not much probability tnat the Senate will
pass any measure that is calculated to
change the Mckinley tariff in any essen
tial particular, but IL it refuses TO pass any
one Of the tariff reduction bills, which Mr..
Springer purposes to send it
from the House, the Republican party
will be put in the position of denying the
people any relief whatever from tariff
burdens The tariff issue, therefore, will
ha mi ada afrilrfpUlv o1nor Tho aff Of
the people will be drawn strongly to those
tariff burdens which bear the most heavily
upon them.
1t is too early yet TO say what will be
done by congress with respect to silver.
There is a strong sentiment among con-
gressmen in favor Of passing free coinage
bill, Notwithstanding the fact that it is
certain that if such bill should be sent to
the President he would veto il. From
the tenor of the talk among the
democratic leaders, however, it looks as if
an international monetary congress would
be decided upon as the only way to settle
the silver question. In our Washington
dispatches yesterday quite a number Of
democratic representatives were quoted as
faVoring the immediate passage of a new
silver coinage bill, but there is reason for
thinking they were talking for the benefit
| of their constituents rather than expressing
their deliberate opinion as to the course the
Democratic party should pursue. 1t is
doubtful il any democrat of national repu-
tation believes that the Democratic party
could carry the next national election with
plank in its platform favoring the free
| coinage OF silver. A declaration in favor
| Of the free coinage Of silver either in con-
gress or in the national platform would not
| Lnjure the party In the south and west, but
it would do it an incalculable amount
Of harm in the east. 1t would place
| New York, Connecticut and New Jersey
| in the republican column. And after all it
is by no means certain, as Mr.. Carlisle says,
that any considerable number OF people
would want free silver coinage after they
| thoroughly understood the silver question.
The most of those who are clamoring for it
now are doing so under the belief that it
would greatly increase the volume of the
| currency.
From present indications, therefore, the
| democratic programme does not include a
general tariff bill nor a bill providing for
| the free coinage of silver