New Ulm review. (New Ulm, Brown County, Minn.) 1892-1961, 1893-12-27
SENSIBLE AND SARCASTIC.
That is the Best and Briefest Criticism
of Mr.. Reeds Minority Report.
His Article a Scathing Rebuke to Demo-
cratic Inconsistency.

cratic Inconsistency.
The following contains the best por-
tions of Mr.. Reeds report on the Wilson
tariff bill which was recently introduced
in the house.
The most surprising thing about this
bill is the fact that this proposition to
raise revenue will lower the revenue of
this county $74,000,O0O below the rev.
enue of 1898, which was only $2,OOO.OOO
above our expenses. This fact and the
other fact that by this bill the larger
part of the burden of taxation is trans
ferred from foreigners and brought to
our own citizens, should always be kept
in mind during the discussion. Had the
committee in making what the chairman
on the floor of the house has called
s'political bill," followed the plain, un-
compromising declaration of the party
which they represent, and abolished pro-
lection, giving us tariff for revenue
only, our task in commenting upon the
result of the committees efforts would
have been much more simple. The bill
would then have been straight ht-forward,
manly attempt to carry out pledges, and
would have placed in issue two great
principles, and have led to a clear and
comprehensive discussion.
So far, however, have the committee
departed from the demands Of their ma
tional convention that we should have
been much tempted to borrow phrase
from their own platform and designate
the bill as a s'cowardly make Shift" were
it not that the results have been already
too serious for mere epithets.
Such phrase, even thus sanctioned,
would be out of place in discussion
which involves so much of Importance
to all classes of citizens. It still, how
ever, remains a fact that the bill present.
ed can in no way be justified by people
who claim to have obtained possession
of all brancees of the govern ent upon
distinct promise, which they now as
distinctly repudiate.
If it should be said that these pledges,
solemnly made on yea and nay vote,
after full discussion, were not intended
for action, then the breaking Of the
pledges has the additional Disadvantage
of premeditation. If subsequent events,
and they have been numerous enough and
weighty enough to startle the country,
have convinced the committee that the
Democratic platform is as utterly wrong
and indefensible as history will know it
to be. then it is a great misfortune to
this country that the committee did not
have the courage to openly abandon the
false doctrine and leave the country un-
disturbed, 50 that it might convalesce
from the shock OF its great mistake.
But the committee, instead of proceed
ing in it's great work of abolishiug pro-
lection and preserving the people from
the load of taxation which they have
ALWAYS averred was the result of protec-
ton, has presented bill which is only
another tariff tinkering bill, the like Of
which has disturbed the conditions of
business so many times in the last 80
years.
1t is great misfortune that such is
the case, for had the bill been for revenue
only, in the only sense possible for that
term, the people Of this country might
have seen at one glance whether they de-
sired the one policy or the other, and the
policy might have been settled at once
and for all, and the country might have
attained that repose, confidence and GER
tainty which our business prosperity so
much needs This other and fresher plan
has all the faults which the trainers of
this bill charged upon the old, and very
few of it's virtues. It is open to all the
derisive and harsheplthets with which the
present system used to be overwhelmed.
1t taxes the people with tariff tax; it
creates, OF rather proposes, to maintain
what they used to call privileged classes,
and is defined by its authors by argu-
ments and expressions strangely like
those which they used SO freely to de-
nounce. A manufacturer is told that
the duty will protect him, and his claims
are listened to on that basis and are
argued for him on that basis just as in
the brave. days of old.
The Democratic district attorney Of
the northern district of New York comes
down, as he had a right to, and delares