The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1894-08-16
PASSAGE OF THE TARIFF BILL.


hurtful, absolutely inexcusable raid
upon American prosperity has at last
eliminated in the passage of the Cor
-Brice Tariff Bill. The unseemly,
vicious, insincere game of bluff has ended
by the Houses undignifed and complete
surrender.
The last few weeks of the struggle
were particularly indecent and dis
honest. The blatant Tariff Deformers
had pushed through the House bill
which they never intended should be-
come law. It's sole object was bunkum
for consumption in the cities and back
districts. Almost without exception,
they relied on the Senate to so amend
! the bill as to save the industries in which
their particular constituents were in
terested, and corporations, trusts, and
monopolies which were contributors to
their own campaign funds.
Take the State of New Jersey as
sample of the whole. The Representa-
tives from that State went for the Wilson
bill with a ,hoop and hurrah. But
they didn't intend for an instant that
the wages of the operatives should be
cut down in the great potteries, and silk,
cotton, hemp, and jute factories, or the
establishments closed, as would have been
the case if the bill became law. They
wanted to take off the protection On the
| the wool of the farmers of Ohio, Michi-
gan, Wyoming, Texas, the Dakotas, ETC.,
and the duties on everything else but
their own special products, SO they
voted for the bill as whole, but
Immediately went to their Senators to
get the exceptions made in their favor.
Senator Smith is a good business man,
and SET out to comply with their wishes.
He went to the potteries and the facto-
ries and assured them that they could
60 on as they had been, pay the same
wages, and he would see that they were
unhurt. Senator Murphy did the same
with the immense collars and cuffs estab-
lishments of his home city-Troy. Other
Senators were not so open in their course,
but each one of them looked out more or
less, and more or less properly, for the
interests which their Representatives and
the people of their States wanted cared
for. Naturally, one Senator could not
get advantages for his State without con-
ceding the same to his brother Sen
ators, and the result was the COM
promise known as the German Briee
/ Bill. But while each Senator had
done precisely what the Representatives
wanted him to do, the latter thought it
necessary, for purely political effect, to
raise a great howl against the Senate's
action. But instead of a howl there
would have been deep and bitter In
dignation if any Senator had "been
false to the wishes of the Representatives
and his constituents" if he had failed to
do just exactly what he did, IF Cor
man bad " allowed coal to be sacrificed"
Caffery and Blanchard sugar, Murphy
collars and cuffs, Smith the manu-
features of New Jersey, and 50 on, where
would the Representatives and their
party be?
The Senators got weary Of enduring
the senseless abuse, and began to seri-
ously consider recalling their bill, and
defeating all legislation. Then a panic
took possession Of the Tariff Deformers.
There was wild anxiety as to whether
the Senate could get possession of the
bill again, and at last the House pre-
cipitately concurred in all the Sen
ate amendments, without so much as
dotting an j or crossing a t. 1t was
most ignoble swallowing of the viruIent
abuse they had been indulging them
selves in, most indecent gulping down
Of feast of crow, but there was no
other way, and they paid little attention
to manners Or table etiquet in their hasty
meal Of the unsavory bird.
1t was not pleasant spectacle, but it
was entirely consistent with all the other
acts of this Congress.
THINK Of it. Our home market is
| worth billions nf dollars roorn +bo,, IL -