New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-03-07
TlELEE REEORNERS ALIRNED.

"TarifT Reform is in danger The alarm
has been sounded. ana the friends Of the Re
form are greatly stirred by ii. by friends or
the Reform" we mean those earnest ana cner-
cetic persons who during the last few years
have imnrcsscI the leaders Of the Democratic
party with the notion that Tariff Reform was
the winning card BY their righteousness, IN
tcnsity and persistence they compelled the
party TO take up their hobby ana pretend 10 be-
Ucyc in it, 1t was not such difficult thing 10
do. for the party being animated by the single
purpose Of getting into power, was ready 10
take I'D ANYTHING that promised aid in that d.
rection. whether Tariff Reform. Free Silver
Coinage. Civil Service Reform. economy in adj
ministration or anything else that seemed 10
have behind it respectable number of votes.
The Tariff Rcformcrs were loud pushing ana
aggressive and appeared 10 he large
body Of voters They captured Mr. Cleveland
in 1857 and the party in ISIS. made the pat
form in 1892 and on it carried Congress ana
the country With the inauguration or Mr..
Cleveland and the opening of the present scS-
sion of Congress they found themselves iii pos
session of the Government in all lis depart
mpnts And then they set about reforming me
tariff. They have carried the Reform bill
through the House and il is now pending Ill the
Senate There is where Tariff Reform is in
danger
Why? Simply because several Democratic
Senator'S who were ready enough 10 give me
Reformcrs their way in forcing candidate
upon the party and making Il platform 10 suit
themselves and who threw up their hats win
the rest for Reform during the canvass. nave
inst discovered the meaning of il. Upon exam
lining the measure which cmbodicS the Reform
they find that it operates unfavOraby upon
many and fatally upon some. of the INDUSTRIAL
interests OF their constituents; that, instead or
being n salutary Reform. it is mischicvous ana
destructive The constituents of some are IN
terested in sugar, others in coal and iron ana
wool and various manufactured articles, and
though they are perfectly willing III the interest
Of the party 10 see the industries Of other con
stituenceS than their own struck down in the
name of Reform. they are distinctly opposed
10 those features Of the measure which affect
their own communities unfavorably. II Is The
dawning of this new light upon the Senatorial
mind as 10 the probable effect Of the Reform
upon their constituents. and little later upon
themselves, that constitutes the danger The
Reformcrs assert that certain Senators have en-
tered into a combination to defeat those pro-
visions Of the bill which they consider especially
obnoxious TO their constituents and are saying
hard things about their disloyalty TO the party
the hypocrisy Of their professions. and all that
sort Of thing.
But the RcformcrS seem to us TO have lost
sight of one very important circumstance, and
that is that living up 10 the promises and pro
fcssons of the party Is not Democratic habit
What they put in the platform about the tariff
the currency, Civil Service, retrenchment, econ
omy or anything else was put In simply to get
votes. The purpose was accomplished when the
votes were gained and the party brought into
power. DislOyaty 10 the Democratic party Is
impossible to any one who constantly and reg
ularly votes the ticket. There is no such thing
as disloyalty 10 principle, for there is none
These gentlemen are free TO vote as they please
on any Question-unlcss, perhaps, some such
party measure as the repeal Of the Federal
Election act, which opens the way to fraudu
lent voting and Democratic success without
losing their standing in the party. Moreover,
the Rcformcrs would do we'll to consider that
they are asking a good deal when they insist
that Democratic Senators should sacrifice their
own interests and those Of their constituents
merely to carry out an empty platform promise
10 cmbody In legislation foolish economic the
DRY, the very threat Of which has paralyzed
business and dcmoralzed trade.