The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1894-01-30
II these men are not wofully mistaken


nearly majority of the Democratic
members there is apparent constant
irritation and impatience at the slight
reductions made by the bill. This
feeling is kept from formal voting eX-
preston only by the confidence which
Is reposed in the Judgment of the COM
mittee, which declares that after care
full investigation it believes that
greater reductions cannot at once be
safely made.
This state of affairs places the Demo-
Gratis at a great disadvantage in the
debate. They are compelled to fight
for half principle. Their logic must
be the logic of necessity and not Of
economies There is no chance for
them to cut loose and stand up for all
they think and believe, because the
bill they support would give the lie to
their arguments. Abstract oratory on
the robbery of protection and the in
fanny of tariff they must leave to
the Popuists, the Champ Clarks and
others whose utterances are unbridled
by legislative responsibility. The De-
| mOcratic leaders must deal with the
concrete facts of established industries
and vested moral rights which an in
cautious phrase or figure might ruin.
AS one eof them put it in a speech the
OthG"Say, 1T is much harder for the
Defi rats in this tariff matter to do
justN than it was for the Republicans
to do injustice" To raise tariff
directly benefits the specific persons
or interests affected and Injuries only
the people at large. To lower tariff
directly Injuries specific persons or in
tcrests and benefits only the people at
large. The people at large are slow to
realize Indirect injuries or benefits
while specific interests squal like stuck
pigs upon the slightest provocation.
This Is why it is nice not to be DE- mo-
cratic leader at the present crisis.
The Republicans, on tie other hand
have nothing to look out for in debate
except the immediate effect. They
can buster and storm and threaten
with no danger to themselves or to the
country. They swagger through the
debate like lot OF swashbucklers on
Bowery stage, and the more fuss and
noise they make the greater states
men they feel themselves to be. Leg
them have neither pride in ancestry
nor hope of posterity, and they can
bray to their hearts content without
rhyme or reason and with logic as
crooked as Il rail fence. Of course
this does not refer to Mr. Reed and Il
few other Republicans who have a
future before them, but these men are
taking practically no part in the
debate.
The active fighters on the Republi-
can side have backing them in their
opposition to the Wilson bill only two
real elements of strength. One Of
these is Uhe selfish, personal interest Of
their constituents who may think
themselves benefited by the tariff, and
the other is the innate patriotism OF
American citizens, which leaves deep
rooted in every American heart,
although often unconfessed and some
times denied, the motto. Tour coun-
try, right or wrong" The burden of
every Republican speech, il it is not a
selfish plea for me local interest. is
tn appeal to the sentiment of antag-
onism to anything foreign. This
sentiment, more than anything else,
has led to singular, though com
paratively unimportant, feature of
the present situation of the tariff ques-
| tion-that is, the entire elimination of
Grover Cleveland as an effective ele-
ment in the work Of tariff reform.
The Republicans are very likely
overrating the extent of this scnti-
ment of Americanism as the founda-
| tion for Il protective tariff. Mr.. Cleve-
land and Mr.. Gresham certainly over
! in their famous attempt to "do the
right thing" for Liliuokalani. How
| complete a gulf this affair has put
between the Administration and the
Democratic majority in Congress was
| strikingly shown when the House
suspended the tariff debate yesterday
! to receive the latest batch Of Hawaiian
| correspondence. In the formal ines
| sage which accompanied this cor
respondcnce the President very un.
| automatically went out of his way t.
refer to :" IL most extraordinary letter y
from President Dole. Certainly that. to
a sympathetic Congress. would have
| been the cue for almost anything less
than declaration of war. AS mat
ter of fact, the House, including many
Democrats. openly and heartily APP
plaudcd the most extraordinary v
| letter, while for the share Of Mr.. Clcve'
| lands Minister in the correspondence
it had only jecrs and laughter. Nc
| letter that Mr.. Dole could have writ
ten would have been more eXtraordi-
nary" than such q reception of the
| communication OF Democratic Pre-
| sident by u House with two-thirde
| Democratic majority.
| The occurrence publicly emphasized
! the fact, which has been gradually
becoming apparent, that the Demo
cratic majority in Congress at last
believes itself to be ''a bigger man than
old Cleveland" So has Mr.. Cleveland
weakened his position since the days
of the silver-repeal fight that it would
be untrue any longer to speak OF him
as leader in the tariff-reform strug.
gle. While he has been pattering by
the wayside with Van Allen and Horn
blower and Liliuokalani the tariff
reform fight has swept past him and
party control has passed from the
Executive to the majority in Congress
TO be friendly with the Administers
tion has become Il positive disadvant
age for Congressman, and those who
a few months ago were admired as MIR
Clevelands personal Representatives
in Congress are now cOntemptuOusly
referred to as his "cuckoOs."
This situation will not hinder tari0
reform in the House and may help il
in the Senate. Its passage there with
comparatively little amendment is con
fidently. predicted by those whose
judgment is entitled TO respect. The
Republicans in the Senate are DIVIDED
into two classes, those who are tariff
reformers at heart and those who arc
extreme protectionists. The formci
certainly will not interfere with tn,
bill, and the latter will, it is thought
consider it the best policy TO leave tho
bill as bad as it can be from theil
point of view, knowing that it vii
pass ANYHOW and believing that tho