The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1894-10-04

Of wages, or nors general employment ~
che old seals Of wa9sss 151 rauJt aft.
swer ct the polls. II it be true thas g re.
vival Of business and general prosperity
are to follow the passage of the new law,
rs Is claimed by our political adversarics,
and which we hope may be fully realized,
then why should they interfere with tho
glad prospect by still further changes In
tariff schedules or renewed agitation of
the subjectf
The history of the new tariff legislation
Is interesting and instructive. The house,
which alone has power to originate rsve-
nue. bills, passed what is known as the
Wilson bill, measure which has the
unenviable distinction of being the only
tariff bill in our history that was ever in
dorsed by president in his annual mes
sage to congress before it.had been reported
to the house, and before it had even been
officially adopted by the ways and means
committee. 1t was ostensibly tariff bill
for revenue; and yet, on its face, it did not
raise sufficient revenue to conduct the
government. If that bill had become a
law, every estimate have seen touching
its revenue raising power created an an
nual deficiency of from $40, 100000 to $70,-
100000.
The bill went to the senate and took the
usual course of reference to the commit
tee on finance, which is charged with the
revenue legislation of the senate. After
protracted consideration by the committee
the Wilson bill, with more than 400 amend
ments, was reported to the senate. But,
after much talking and wrangling, it was
soon made manifest that neither the Will
son bill, nor the Wilson bill with the
finance committees amendments, could
pass that body.
And So taking the matter out of the
hands of the senate, and out of the hands
of the finance committee of the senate, a
self-constituted adjusting committee, a
| committee unknown to the constitution,
a committee unauthorized by the rules of
the senate, or by party caucus, tradition or
! custom, an adjusting committee consist
ing of Messrs Jones of Arkansas, Vest of
Missouri and Harris of Tennessee under
took to make a bill which would receive
the votes of 43 senators, or bare major
ity of all.
The manner of its making should con-
denim it. 1t was ''traded through" with
out regard to principle, public policy, the
public interests or public morals.
The senator from Arkansas himself best
tells how it was done. Speaking of the
bill of the finance committee, in open sem
ate few days ago, Mr.. Jones related:
We knew that to pass the bill in this form at
that time was impossible. With that fact
staring us In the face, and appreciating the
| necessity Of passing some sort of a tariff bill
while we had power, the senator from Tennes-
ee,the senator from Missouri, myself and other
| members of the committee, and senators not on
the committee, discussed the situation freely.
I began the conversation with Individual sem
tors one after another. carefully noted down
the objections and criticisms Of each, and to
each particular paragraph throughout the bill,
and the objection made to 1t. went from the
| beginning to the end through the bill with man
after man on this side of the chamber, spend
ing days and days in the work. After l had
talked with each man who was opposing the
bill, and had noted on the margin of the bill
what was said, had every objection presented
by each of them, and after had gone over the
| marginal notes and made up my mind about
exactly what were the smallest notifications
which would at all meet the difficulties which
were In the way. consulted the secretary OF
the treasury and the president, and thus we
made the bill.
Bargains, Not Principle.
That is to say, he said to the several SEN
4 ators who were unpledged and refused to
be bound by the decree of the party eau
Gus:
"What do you want? What is your re.
quirement for voting for this bills We
must pass a bill while we have the power.
What is the least consideration that will
get your voteF'
Not what was for the best interests OF
the people; not what would carry out the
pledges of their platform upon which they
gained power; not what was best for the
whole country and its vast interests: not
what the masses of the people wanted; not
what would give employment to our thou
sands of idle men and promote the general
prosperity; but, "What do you want; what
do you insist upon, and what is the least
you will takef Let US have your answer
frankly, SO that we can arrange things and
may count upon your vote for the passage
of some sort of aetarif bill"
And the senator from Arkansas care
fully put the requirements of them all OF
the margin of the bill, and added one vote
after another to his list until AZ were SO
cured.
Delivered the Goods.
The adjusting committee went through
the whole list very patiently. They gave
Senator Murphy his duty on collars and
cuffs; they gave the senators from Ala
bama, Tennessee, Virginia and West Vir
ginia the duty they asked on coal and iror
ore. They gave to the senator's from Lou.
isiana and elsewhere and the great sugar
trust Of the country the duty they die
tated and demanded on sugar. They gave
the Populists the income tax, and the
whisky trust their privilege of storing
their product for eight years without tax
And thus the great tariff reform bill was
made-a bill which Senator Mills of Texs.
declared, in a recent speech in the senate
''does not receive the approval of 1,0O(
men In the whole United States ~
1t gives some protection. Rice is care
fully protected by duty of over 30 pei
cent, and sugar is not wholly neglected
1t has some free trade in it here, and somt
there, but mostly here in the north. There
Is tariff on peanuts, but free trade IL
cotton ties. There is a tariff on sumac
but free trade in wool. There is tariff
on mica, but free trade in lumber. There
IL tariff CT the grain bags of the north
ern farmer, but no tariff on the cotton bag