Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-11-13
rITTsBURG. SUNDAY. Nov. IL 1897
TWFNTY-FOUR PAGES.
THE HOPE OF CONSERVATION.

Every intelligent and unprejudiced cit
izeu viii hope that in the pending conflict
between the free trade radicals and the
moderate protectionists and conservatives
in the Democratic party tae latter may
have the support of President Cleveland.
The free traders are prompt and loud in
their calls for an extra session of Con-
gr6sS. But the PrPsident-elect will, as
the New Y Nork Herald yesterday pointed
out, be likely to 90 slow before commit
ting himself and the party power behind
him to the hands of new aggregation of
talent more flushed by victory than
seasoned by experience or precise knowl-
edge.
In the question as to which side of such
q conflict Mr.. Cleveland will be apt to
take there is no lack of personal express
sicns on his part. In his tariff message of
1887, opening the controversy, he asserted
that 1.-The interests of American labor en-
gagged in manufacture should be carefully
considered as well as the preservation
Of our manufacturers In his let
ter of acceptance in 1888 he de-
clared: "The reform we seek to
inaucurate is predicated upon the
utmost care for established interests and
enterprises" and in his letter of 1892, he
repeated: ''We believe that the advan-
tages of free raw materials should be ac-
corded to our manufacturers, and we con-
template fair and careful distribution of
Necessary tariff burdens, rather than the
precipitation of free trade" The course
marked out by these quotations cannot be
followed by hasty session for the purpose
of repeating the Mckinley act
Some extreme Republican partisans
have been applauding the extra session
idea and the precipitation of free trade
proposals by the Democrats, with the idea
that the sooner the programme is gone
through the quicker will be the public re-
vulsion and the loss Of power by the
Democrats. Fortunately, however, the
great majority of citizens are more patri-
otic than partisan. They do not wish
hasty and destructive legislation to be un-
dertaken merely that one party may
thereby put itself out of Office and that
another party may get in. They want the
best and the wisest element to control in
every party, and particularly in the party
Which happens to have power. 1t is the
same feeling of patriotism, as something
above partisanship, which induces all
TiEht-mlnded citizens, no matter whether
they opposed or favored Cleveland as a
partisan candidate, to desire now that, as
President Of the whole people, his admin
iStration may be wise and productive of
good and not baneful results.
The noticeable moderation of tone
among many of the Democratic organs
and leaders since the election indicates
that the ra-SeSsion-free-trade element
which wishes to lose no time in beginning
10 smash things will meet with vigorous
opposition. If President Cleveland ranges
himself with the conservatives and mod
crate protectionists, as his letter of ac-
ceptance promises, the fears of the busi-
ness interests will be reduced to a mini
mum. New industrial undertakings will
perhaps be checked, and possibly some of
the tin plate factories will be abandoned;
but the established industries will not be
hurt unless purpo5ely destructive cuts are
made in the tariff.