The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1894-08-25

W ntFC We <Aft NJ.
Congress has. at last, passed a
tariff bill.
1t ia not a Democratic bill. Meth
er the original Wilson bill, nor the
Wilson bill as modified by the Sen
ate, is a Democratic tariff bill.
The most that can be said of it is |
that it is a cowardly compromise be
tween a Mckinley tariff and Dem
ocratic tariff such as was promised
by the Chicago Democratic Conven-
tion and demanded by the people at
the polls.
1t does not suffice to say that sit
was the best that could be got from
this Congress. If the leaders of the
House had had the courage to frame
tariff bill in accordance with the
demands of the Democratic platform
and of the people at the polls, the re-
suit would have been better even if
it failed to pass The Senate and all
tariff legislation had utterly failed
at this session, than TO commit
themselves to a mongrel protective
measure that satisfies nobody.
The Democratic party could then
have gone into the campaign with
clean skirts. having fulfilled its
pledges, and practically avowed its
purposes and principles. and the
people would have seen to it that the
party had an opportunity TO finish
it's work
1t was not conservatism but
cowardice that led to a trifing mod
ifcation of the Mckinley bill.
The Chicago platform in effect,
promised that every article imported
from foreign country shou,a pay a
duty exactly in proportion to its val
ne that there should be no discrim-
ination, no protection for the sake of
protection, but revenue, and revenue
only, should be the purpose of the
tariff.
Nevertheless, the Democratic
leaders of the House spent the great
er part of year contending over
Democratic protective tariff to take
the place of Republican protect
i've tariff. They framed and passed
a bill which differs only in detail
not in principle, from that which
they had denounced.
Nor does it suffice to say tn.st sit
is step in the right direction.
There was no occasion for falter-
ing and doing a halfway job. A
revenue tariff bill, thoroughly Dem
ocratic and complete, could have
been framed, and protected indus
tries could have been "let down easy"
by postponing or graduating the
time and degree of it's effect upon
these industries, while at the same
time the bill would have presented
the full Democratic plan and pur-
pose for the inspection of the coun-
try.
AS is, nothing is settled-except
that nobody is satisfied, and that
the same battle will have to be
fought over again in the next con-,
gress.
These are plain truths plainly
spoken. We write them frankly be
cause every Democrat recognizes
their truth and feels the situation.
There is no morsel of satisfaction
in them for the Republican reader
except such as grows out of the dis
comfiture of the Democrats. We are
sorry that they do not have the Nc
Kinley bill, pure and simple, with
which to demonstrate to the country
for another year, the disastrous eff
tects of protective tariff, and wi tn
which to increase the next Demo
cratic majority.
Our one consolation is found in a
confding faith that the people in
tend to abolish and obliterate the
iniquity of protective tariff, and if
the present leaders of the Democra t.
ic party don't do it, they will elect
men who can and will.
AN OLD FASHIONED DEMOCRAT.