The Coconino weekly sun., 1894-04-12
THE DEMOCRATIC TARIFF.
Legislative Incapacity of BlunderIng Free
 Traders.

O-
 Traders
 The tariff bill as finally reported to the senate is ridiculous travesty upon democratic theories and professions. In many points it directly antagonizes the fundamental declaration of the party platform. That platform affirms pro- lection to be unconstitutional The bill, as reconstructed by the senate committee, adopts this unconstitution- al principle as to certain preferred in- dustries, extending to them a protec- tion which is arbitrarily denied to other interests equally important and de- serving, These concessions are made, admittedly, for partisan reasons, and independently altogether of broad con- alterations of public policy; they are made to conciliate special interests and apnease the hostile sentiment of spe- cial localities. Thus we have bill which is inspired on the one hand by motives of hostility to great national interests, and on the other by solici- tude for interests which are largely sec tional and hold no vital relation to the national prosperty-a bill which is for protection and against it, which em- bodies both constitutional and an un- constitutional principle; which pro- poses, accepting the claims of it's fram- CTS as sincere, to promote the national welfare and at the same time encour- age national disaster.
 Believing as we do in the protective policy, we of course regard its applica- tion as to any interest or industry as a matter for congratulation. We have no doubt that the discriminations of the amended Wilson bill, made in the interest of localities, will in some sense inure to the public advantage. But this does not alter the fact that the bill is dishonest and incoherent, utterly bad in morals, and that as such it must bring our legislation into contempt. Whenever a country lets down the standard of legislation to the level of eXpediency, and its laws come to image the prejudices or passions, or reflect the selflshness and venality of the pop ulace, or any part of it-when, in a word, it enacts its laws by process of bargain and sale-it invites the deri- sion of all right-thinking peoples and makes it inevitable that its own au- thority will cease, sooner or later, to command respect
 The laundering of the democratic party in thls matter of the tariff illus trates afresh it's singular incapacity for dealing in statesmanlike way with questions of public concern. It had an opportunity such as rarely comes to any party to formulate and carry out distinctive, concrete and positive policy. The country had declared in its favor. Its power with all departments of the government in its possession, was abso- lute and complete. Acting in honest conformity to the spirit and demands of it's platform, and standing unitedly for principle, it could have commanded popular respect because of its integrity of purpose, however much the results of it's action might have been depre- cated. Instead of this it has by it's in. competence and timorous insincerity deepened the distrust of the people, lost its opportunity, and brought upon the country fresh confusion and apprehen- sion as to the economic policy of the future. Instead of settling, it has un- settled financial and industrial condi- tions, and thus has aggravated the difficulties, already ominously great, thI ough when we must make our way to that clear, well-settled and perma- nent national policy which can alone bring genuine and abiding prosperity. -Leslies Weekly.