The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1894-01-26
THE ASSISTANT REPUBLICANS IN
CONGRESS-

The course of those Democrats in
Congress who are cooperating with
the Republicans to impede if not alto
gether prevent tariff reform deserves
severe condemnation. The Republi-
cans may be true to their party in this
matter, for high protection with its
encouragement of monopolies is a car
dinal feature of Republican policy
The Democrats, however, have no
such excuse. For many years the
Democratic party has sought to Sc
cure such reform of the tariff as would
tend to equalize the taxation required
for the support of the government
Time and time again they have been
thwarted in their efforts by the power
of concentrated monopolists who were
willing to contribute money freely to
perpetuate system in which they
were largely benefited, at the expense
of their fellow citizens After long
campaign of education the American
people in the congressional elect ons
of 1890 and again in the Presidential
election of 1892 declared Enthusiastically
in favor of tariff reform on Democrat
ic lines. Every Democratic member
of Congress, therefore, is bound by
the platform upon which he was
elected to vote for reform of the
tariff. Revolutions do not go back
wards and those who are false to the
principles of their party and the plat
form upon which they were elected
will in the future have to stand aside
for more worthy and more reliable
men.
Some of these recreant Democrats
attempt to excuse their course by the
result of the elections last fall, con-
STRUNG them as reversal of the de-
claration of the people for a lower
tariff. This is merely self-deception.
Many people unwisely expected tariff
reform and prosperity to come imme-
diately upon the election of Cleveland,
and being disappointed they gave ex-
preston to their feelings by voting
the Republican ticket. The delay in
passing the silver bill was another dis
turbing element, adding to the gener-
al discomfort and to business depres-
sion.
Another argument used against a
revision of the tariff is that this is not
the proper time to do it. On this
point Harpe1's Weekly says:
IF we are to believe the protection
lists, the proper time for reforming the
tariff will never come. When bust
ness is prosperous, they always say,
Do not touch it; let well enough
alone When business is disturbed,
they always say, Do not touch it !;
wait until business is easy again. :
And as soon as it is easy again the let
well-enough-alone cry is repeated
tariff can never be touched, unless to
raise it. When once you have it you
are never to get rid of it, There is no
state of circumstances under which it
can be reduced without general disas-
ter. Unless the Democrats are willing
to accept this despotic doctrine they
must reform the tariff now, for they
will never find more favorable time y
The chief objection to the Wilson
bill, from a Democratic standpoint, is
that there is too much protection in
it. 1t is, however, a step in the right
direction, and is probably the best
bill that could have been made. The
squandering of the treasury surplus
by the last administration in illegal
pensions and extravaganza wasteful-
ness has made it necessary to proceed
cautiously in reducing the tariff, in
order that the governments expenses
may be met. This, of course, carries
with it a full measure of protection
with which even Mr.. Carnegie ap-
pears satisfied. The Republicans in
Congress, aided by certain Democrats
who wish to obtain concessions for in
dustries in their own districts, are
doing all they can to make the Will
son bill obnoxious. They are willing
that everything else shall be free of
duty except the articles produced in
their own districts.
Let there be no more of this truck
ling. The interests of the whole
country are superior to those of any
one section, and men who call them
selves Democrats should uphold the
principles they were sent to Congress
to uphold.
a.