The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-08-29
The President and the Tariff BIN.


Up TO within a few hours before the
tariff bill became a law, the President
was strongly urged to sign the bill.
Even those democratic congressman who
were the most outspoken in their opposi-
ton to some of the leading features of the
bill wanted him TO sign it, because they
believed that by doing so he would aid
his party greatly in the congressional
campaign. The President. however, felt
that after what he had said Of the bill in
his letter 10 Chairman Wilson. he could
not consistently do so. He had condemned
the bill because il failed 20 carry out
fully the promises the Democratic party
| had made 10 the people, and he took the
| ground that if he should sign it his action
would be interpreted to mean that there
were to be no more efforts in the dlrec-
ton of tariff reform.
He states his position very clearly in
his letter to Gen. Catchings, the full
text of which was published in our dis
PEACHES yesterday. In that letter he is
particularly bitter against trusts and
monopolies He undoubtedly had the
sugar trust in mind He leaves no room
for doubt that the battle for tariff re-
form is to 90 on until the tariff is shaped
in accordance with the tariff doctrines of
the Democratic party. At the next ses-
sion o congress an effort will undoubtedly
be made to put coal and iron ore on the
free list and to take from the sugar trust
part of the protection it now has.
The President is not a man to be salts
fed with compromises or halfway meas
ures. He wants the party TO do what it
has promised to do. He understands, of
course, that mis- signature to the bill
would have been of some advantage to
the party in the congressional elections,
but he would rather have his party lose
a few congressman than that there
should be any let up in the tariff fight
before a decisive victory was achieved.
The statement that Senator Jones of
Arkansas has given to the Arkansas Ca
zette of his work in assisting in the prep
aration of the tariff bill is calculated 10
give the impression that the Senate bill,
before it passed the Senate, had the ap-
proval of the President and Secretary
Carlisle. He says that he told the Presi-
dent and MIR. Carlisle that the bill had to
be prepared to suit the views of forty
three senators, and that both of them
told him to go ahead and prepare such a
bill
No doubt Senator Jones states what is
true, but the President did not think the
character of the Wilson bill would be
almost wholly changed, and, besides, he
was confident that the conference COM
mittee would, 10 the end, make the bill
what it should be. He exerted all
of his influence to induce the
Senate to make concessions, and when he
failed he determinedto let the bill become
a law without his signature.
He is frank to admit that the new tariff
is, in many respects, an excellent one
that it is great improvement upon the
Mckinley tariff-and will be Of immense
benefit to the country, but he had fought
for tariff reform so long and so earnestly
that he was disappointed in not getting
all he hoped for. He may be blamed for
not signing the bill, but he has the salts
faction of knowing that he has been con
sistent throughout the tariff struggle and
that he is in a position to urge a continu-
ance of it.