The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1894-08-29

part, No man could fifty undertake TO
seventy million people, unsurpassed in
wealth and in the magnitude and variety
of their industrial and commercial IN
terests, to purge injustice and monopoly
from that system; to replace class ex-
action by public taxation, privilege by
equality; to tighten the burden of the
people, secure larger rewards for their
labor and freer play for their Industries,
without being appalled, by the great
ness of the trust committed to him, and
the thickening difficulties in the way of
its successful performance. No man
could worthily approach such work
without putting away from him any
selfish concern for his own political fu-
ture. No man could hope for any mea-
sure of real success who was not willing
| to dedicate to such a task every power
of body and mind with an humble in
vocation for strength and wisdom from
| the unfailing source of strength and wis
| dom. I cannot claim to have risen to
the full height of this duty, but 1 have
never faltered in the belief that
expected and desired me to
enter upon my work in this
spirit, and in this spirit to per-
sewers to its close. 1 knew that you were
tariff reformers without reservation.
knew that the Democrats of West Vir-
ginia We're not Protectionists, for West
for other States. But even if 1 had
known otherwise I should not have gone
aside one step from what was to me the
clear pathway of duty to all the people.
You know, for you have followed with
watchful interest, the varying history
of our attempt at tariff reform. You
hearty approval the action of the House
of Representatives in the framing and
passage of a measure bearing the
badges of Democratic principles, and
fraught with promised benefits to all
the people. You have followed with
waning hopes and angry disapproval the
tortuous passage of that bill through the
Senate, and seen that despite a nominal
Democratic majority in that body, hte
great trusts and monopolies We're still
able to write their taxes in as they had
done under Republican rule in some of
its most important schedules The bur-
den upon you is the same whether they
use Democratic hand or a Republican
hand as their amanuensis. But the wrong
to you is infinitely greater when men
who bear the commission of your own
party thus prove faithless to it's highest
duties.
BANEFUL ALTERATIONS.
1 need not recite to you the successive
steps, the material and baneful altera-
tions through which the House bill
quietly passed into law yesterday morn
ing, without the signature and approval
of the President. who was elected upon
the issue of tariff reform, apd who an
ticipated as the signal triumph and his
toric achievement of his administration
the privilege of affiXing his name to a
genuine and thorough reform bill
You know by what influences this was
brought about. The country knows, and
history will know where to put the re-
sponsbility for the partial failure to
redeem our pledges to the people and
our partial failure to dislodge the great
privileged interests from our tariff I am
not sure that this very failure may not
be the harbinger and assurance of the
speedier and more complete triumph of
commercial freedom than the smooth
and unobstructed passage of the House
bill would have been. eth American peo-
pie are aroused hardly anything else
could have aroused them to the deadly
menance that protection begets to the
purity and very existence of
free government. They have seen
a single great trust empow-
cred by our tariff laws to control the
production and sale of a necessary of
life, parcelling out the country with it's
partners, and using its law-made wealth
and power to thwart the best efforts of
the people to reduce their own taxation
They have seen it hold up Congress for
weeks, and have heard its minions bold
ly declare that there should be no tar
iff bill in which it's interests were not
fully protected, and they have realized
the final fulfillment of that boast
When the sugar trust thus challenges
the American people to a contest of
strength its days are numbered it's tenn
porary triumph is it's speedier and more
complete overthrow, and with its over
throw will vanish it's sister brood of mon
opolies that are strong through its sup
port
BRIGHTER SIDE
But, my friends, there is another and
a brighter side to this picture. With all
its manifold failures, it's final retention
of many protective duties its objection
able sugar schedule and it's excessive
duties on cottons and woollens and met
ais, the new bill carries in it substantial
relief to the American people, and must
be accepted as a substantial beginning
of thorough and progressive tariff reform
1t means cheaper clothing, cheaper TOOLS
cheaper pottery, and many other neces-
saries for the people.
1t means freer and larger commerce
with these nations that buy our farm
products and consequent larger and bet
transfer of some of the burdens of gov
ernment from what goes out for the
daily purchase of the necessaries of
life to that which comes in over and
above the amount needed for such pur-
chase. If we denounce some of its du-
ties and rates, it is because what may be
much lower than the duties and rates
~ NHaLys ys,,l.l tiee.