Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-01-06
Eccentric Development Of the 0ppo-
sition Among Democrats.
qHE PARTY SEEMS TO Be SPLIT.
But the Dissatisfied Appear to Lack
Leadership.
WILL PASS THE HOUSE.

There Is something very eccentric in the
development of the opposition among demo-
Gratis Of the House to the Wilson bill
When the bill was first reported there was
some grumbling on the part of democrats
OF the House, but there was nothing in it
which gave the committee any concern
In the opinion of the committee and other
leading democrats of the House and also
of those few who at that time were willing
to express their antagonism to the measure
there were not more than half a dozen who
would vote against the bill and 1t was
believed that as far the House was con-
cerned the party would be SO nearly unit ed
as to impress the Senate with the popular
ity Of the measure. Up to the day of the
recess adjournment the opposition to the
bill had been of very slow growth and
those democrats who were dissatisfied kept
their own counsel for the most part. Sud-
denly now on the reassembling of Congress
the opposition has burst like a storm upon
the committee, to their dsmay. The party
seems to be split in a half dozen different
directions and the bad temper is conta-
gious, rejecting from the anti-administra-
ton sentiment to the tariff, from the tariff
to the Hawaiian question and from the
antagonisms growing out of the silver fight
to both the tariff and Hawaiian questions.
There is a perfect tangle of discordant
sentiments. The democrats in the House
appear to be speaking in a half dozen diff
ferent languages.
Lack of Leadership.
Judging from the tone of the talk among
members today it is fair to estimate that
the opposition among democrats in the
House TO the Wilson tariff bill is greater
than it was to the horizontal Morrison bill,
under the leadership of Mr.. Randall. If
the dissatisfied democrats were organized
and united under strong leader they
would probably be as effective as was
Randalls little band in the Forty-eighth
Congress They have no leader, however.
and up to the present time are at variance
among themselves. disagreeing as to the
POINT OF attack, ana each little band an
tagonizing some particular feature of the
bill, and unwilling or unable to unite and
combine their grievances. The opposition
to the income tax and to the bounty on
sugar are the only things which hold any
great number together. There is the ut
most confusion and complication in the sit
Iation from the fact that the bill is con-
demned In one quarter as protection
measure, In another because of its free
trade features, and is not fully approved of
by either the free traders, the revenue
tariff men or the protection men, Wilson
hnds himself placed in an, uncomfortable
position. in that the sttitp6e he haS taken
threatens defeat for him az homie and fails
to win Tor him the support he might expect
among his colleagues in Congress-
Carlisle, Morrison and Mills in their fight
for tariff reform had large majority of
the democrats in Congress. not only sup
porting them. but enthusiastically pro-
claiming them as great leaders. Mr. VII
son. however, is but reluctantly and SPAR
ingly accorded even the empty honor of
party leadership. He is more condemned
than praised. He is marked rather as a
victim than as champion, and small jeal-
ousies stand between him and the consid-
Grafton he should receive from those who
agree with him.
Will Go Through the House.
The disaster to the party which failure to
pass bill would bring will unquestionably
put the Wilson bill through the House, but
the support given 1t will be to a consider
able extent reluctant, and the opposition
which 1t will encounter in it's progress
through the House will be a bid for its re-
construction in the Senate.