The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-11-25

FBe honest, and being honest be
Democrats by keeping every pledge made
with the people," These are the words
of Mr.. Crosby Fowler, a well known
Democrat of Waldo county, in a commu-
nication to the New Age that is written
in protest against the Democratic talk of
continuing a bounty to the Louisiana
sugar growers of one half the present
amount No sounder advice could be
given. But it is kind of advice the Dem
ocrats are getting very little of at the
present time, and to which they are
paying very little attention when they do
get it. Since the committee on Ways
and Means have been at work on the
tariff Democrats from all quarters of the
country have been before them, laboring
with all sorts of sophistical arguments
to induce them to wander from the
straight and narrow path which the
national convention laid out after full
doubt as to what the opinion Of the rep
resentative Democrats who met at Chi
cago year ago was. They used no am
biguous or vague language They laid
down in the plainest of language the
Democratic principles that protection
was unconstitutional, and that the only
tariff which Congress had power to i'm
pose was tariff for revenue only. They
asked the people to endorseathose princi-
pies, and the endorsement was given by
the triumphant election of Democratic
President and Democratic Congress in
both branches. If that election meant
anything, if the people issued any man
date to 1.-The Democratic President and
the Democratic congressman it was to
abolish protection and vindicate
the great constitutional principle
that tariff can be laid for
revenue only. Yet no sooner
had the Democratic committee on Ways
and Means begun to execute the man
date of the people than a band of
pusillanimous and hypocritical Demo-
ccrats hurried to Washington to seduce
the committee from the path of rectitude
and honest dealing with. the people and
induce them to betray the kgreat princi-
pie of tariff for revenue only. They
came from every point of the compass
and they embraced men of all grades,
from privates in the ranks to generals
who but a year before had borne alof
the banner of tariff reform. The most
sordid of influences we're brought to
bear. The Louisiana sugar planters, all
Democrats, and all of whom had solemn
ly recorded their opinion at the polls
that protection was violation of the
fundamental law of the land, and was a
device to rob the poor man, spent hours
in urging that either the bounty on their
product be retained or a protec-
tive duty imposed. But the sugar grow
ers were by no means the only traitors
to the great Democratic principle of a
tariff for revenue only. The coal barons
of West Virginia. lead by the Democratic
governor of the State, were equally insist
elt that the committee should lower the
flag of revenue reform and thereby break
their solemn promises to the people.
And then there were the sssteel men of
Alabama, and the Missouri lead mel, all
lASlS1iuS Ou uHlS UICdCucIOuS anu
pusillanimous course. If single Demo-
GRAFT of all the crowd that thronged the
committee room had the courage or the
honesty to offer the advice that Mr..
Fowler gives, to redeem every pledge, his
voice was SO feeble that it entirely es-
capped the attention of the country. And
the worst of it is that the committee on
Ways and Means has given ear to the
tempters and will emerge from it's SUBJ
terranean chamber next Monday with a
bill that instead of keeping every Demo-
cratic pledge, will openly and unblush-
ingly violate large part Of them. !.
Evidently what the country is to get
from the committee is not tariff for
revenue but mongrel affair that follows
no principle and is consistent with none.
No honest attempt has been made to
redeem the Democratic plepge.