The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1894-08-17
Wilson's Excuse.

From the Detroit Tribune.
Professor Wilson is Knocked out of his
| own throat. Every word he utters in the
attempt to extenuate his conduct and justify
| his surrender to the corrupt senate serves
but to further reveal the hollowness of the
pretension of himself and those who
worked with him, The facts are too ap-
parent to be distorted. They are discredit-
able in the extreme to Professor Wilson and
he cannot help it.
When the House, with Wilson as its
mouthpiece, declared it would sit until its
life expired before it would pass the dis
graceful bill which the populists and sugar
trust had made in the senate, the country
prepared itself to see democratic impotency
relieved by an exhibition of democratic vir-
tue. With such declaration of fierce re-
solve, nothing but a failure of all tariff legis-
lation was to be expected. Mr.. Wilson
must have been fully aware when he made
that declaration that it meant the defeat of
the pending bill. He must have known
that he was .pledging himself and his col
leagues to return to the people having done
nothing rather than return with the stain of
a rotten. bargain-stained law upon their
hands. That was manly pledge, even if
it was confession of weakness.
Had Professor Wilson meant what he
said, had the cheers which greeted his
words been sincere, the party would simply
have gone down with its colors nailed to the
masthead. Such afate, 1t must be apparent
is infinitely more honorable than the death
that awaits democracy now. The party's
doom was sealed in either event. The part
of honest, brave men would be to stand by
their guns until the waves closed over their
heads.
But the conclusion must be obvious that
when Mr.. Wilson talked of defeating the
senate bill he was insincere. He did not
want the senate bill defeated. An obliga-
ton deeper and stronger than any other,
though it were more infamous, impelled to
the preservation of the senate bill intact
Had Mr.. Wilson been sincere, when he
heard of the Hill resolution calling the bill
back to the senate to be butchered, he would
have folded his arms and babe the slaughter
proceed. Instead he was thrown into a
panic and fastened to command his forces
to retreat. The senate bill must be saved. |
To the reproach of incompetency is added |
the disgrace of dishonesty. That is the |
crown the democratic nparty has won in its
fuuo vaare of ascandpncv
Professor Wilson will protest in vain that
the senate bill is preferable to the Mckinley
law. In vain a cowardly president seeking
for straw to which he may cling, will echo
the sentiment. The country has the gratu-
itous testimony of both Of them that the bill
is utterly bad, utterly unworthy of support
utterly dishonest, the product of party
perfdy." They are convicted out Of their
own mouths. The house could consistently
do nothing but resist to the bitter end. 1t
fled. The President can con-
sistently do nothing but veto. That he will
sign, or, as more in keeping with his policy,
permit the bill to become law by default,
nobody doubts.
The democratic party was loud in its pro-
testation that 1t would suffer death before
dishonor. In the interests of the sugar
trust 1t has reversed the order.