Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1893-10-26
THE SPIRIT OF FACTION.

The Atlanta Journal remarks very
pertinently that it was the popular
impression when Whitelaw Reid,
chief editor of the New York 7ri-
bu7ae, was nominated for the vice
Presidency on the ticket with Har.
rison, that the Republicans had
thereby worsted a cause already very
bad. Odious as the Harrison adj
ministration had made itself by its
policies, the nomination of Reid
made the party which endorsed it
still weaker before the people.
The course Of the Tribune since
the change of administration affords
abundant proof IF the correctness Of
the popular verdict. Had Reid been
elected and been an Influential mem
ber Of the Harrison administl alton:
or had he any power to control TIE
action of the Senate, over which lie
would haye presided, partisan spite
and factlous party recklessness, ins
stead of craftsmanship, would evi-
IDENTIFY have been his controlling i'm
pulse.
Ever since the meeting of Con-
gress in extraordinary session, the
Tribune has been twitting the Dem
ocrats about their delay in reforming
the tariff. It has demanded more
vociferously than the pronounced
tariff reformer that the Democratic
policy which it calls ''free trade
should without delay be made to
supplant the Republican policy of
protection. It had, before the cleo
ton of Cleveland and a Democratic
congress, contended that the Demos
cratic tariff policy would be ruinous
to the business and industrial inter-
ests of the country, 1t had insisted
since the election, that it was the
prospect of tariff reform that was
mostly Influential in precipitating
the prevailing "panic," business
stagnation and the depression of
labor. Yet it demands that what it
alleges to be the cause Of all this
trouble and distress of the people,
by its shadow only, shall be made
substantial and permanent. Either
this demonstrates that the Tre6una
has no faith in the truth of its own
prophesies Of disaster and ruin to
follow the enactment Of Democratic
tariff reform, or that it is utterly
reckless of such results if only its
party can reap advantage thereby.
Now the Tribune is urging it's
party in Congress-those of them
who have been aiding the Democrats
in the struggle in the Senate to obs
tain a vote on the silver repeal bill
to cease their efforts in that direc-
ton, to withhold longer cooperation
with the Democratic repealers, and
to absent themselves, or refuse to
vote, when they can thereby break a
quorum; in other words, to wheel
right around and give their assist
ance-passjye at least-to the party
in the Senate which they have here>
tofore been opposing! This aftes
the Iri5rGse had been demanding as
strongly as any other paper in the
country the cessation of silver pur-
chases and coinage by the govern
ment. It is obviously suberdiRating
the prosperity Of the business and
industry of the country to partisan
spleen or The hope of party adyants
age. It would rather endure evils
which it has been deplosing than
that a Democratic administration
should acquire the credit of haYin g
remedied them.
The people of the country have
surely no reason to mistrust the wiss
dom Of their decision in November
last, by which they rejected White
law Reid as partisan alfit for the
high station in which he aspired.