The Daily Texarkanian., 1894-05-14
REPUBLICAN DELAY,
Aided by Democratic sloth, Reduces
the Tariff Bill to a Bare Leg
islative Possibility.

Saturdays dispatches from Wash
ington, declare that to have been
another field day for the Republi-
cans in the Senate. Continuing,
the report of Saturdays proceed
ings or alleged proceedings, says;
"If they were funny and clipper
yesterday, they were hilarious and
rompish today, Mr.. Harris had
withdrawn his proposition to open
the sessions at 10 o'clock in the
morning because there was an
agreement that the tariff bill should
be taken up at II instead Of l
1'clock as heretofore, But there
is a possibility that Harris saw a
new flibuster in sight and conclud-
ed to avoid it. Anyhow the Repub-
icans were in very light and wiry
humor this morning They began
to nag the Democrats as soon as
the bill came up.
Mr. Chandler made his customary
funny speech, to the delight of the
Republicans. In fact there was a
warm approval of his sarcasm in the
galleries, which moved Mr. Lodge
to essay the same line. Mr. Hale
of Maine, too, was humorous, and
took for his line the idea advanced
by Mr.. Chandler that the Democrats
were becoming protectionists, But
he soon came down to business and
for the FIRST time developed the
fear that abides in the Republican
camp. He said whispers had been
heard on every side for some time
past chat the concessions made to
protection in the bill had been made
to enable it to pass the Senate.
More than this, the plan was that
when the bill had passed and gone
to conference committee it was
there to be shorn Of all it's conces-
sions made in the open Senate.
He warned the Democratic side
that if this was done the minority
would never let the measure pass
the Senate. He said this in the
most earnest manner, and the Dem
ocrats looked at him as if his words
should be carefully weighed. There
was significance in this, for the gem
eral supposition that a minority
has to yield to majority receives
by it a contradiction; yet under the
present method Of conducting leg
islation in the Senate he had every
right to say what he did say, for
without cloture rule, something
to which some of the members seem
insanely rdverse, no bill can pass
over the protests of minority.
There was no reply by Democrats
to this threat, for the determina-
ton of the Democrats to shear the
bill Of its protective features in the
conference committe is boldly and
openly stated. There was a great
deal of time consumed at this kind
of talk. The amendment under
consideration was not discussed, but
the remarks Of the Republicans
took that wide range which demon
strated their lilibustering policy.
Mr.. Harris once asked that Il time
might be set for taking vote, but
he was laughed at for his sugges-
tion. Mr.. Chandler spoke about the
Importance of a full consideration
of the amendment, and finally de-
clared it would be impossible to
have a vote under three months
1t would thus appear to the aver
age thinking mind that the great
drama Of tariff reform now being
enacted by the Ffty-third Congress,
with the nation for an audience,
had passed through all Of the inter
mediate downward stages, from a
Legislative tragedy" Of the highest
magnitude, to political farce" of
the broadest and comnonest kind,
To pace the blame for this de-
plorable deterioration where it
properly belongs would be difficult
indeed, as all, or very nearly all, OF
the once great actors on the Demo-
cratic side Of the Senate have, by
some subtle process, been converted
into a company Of commedians, and
appear to have gone in for legisla-
tive tests and political pantomime.