The record-union., 1894-08-18
THE WILSON BILL FOR FIFTY
YEARS.

In the retreat of the House from the
position it had taken and voicing the sur
render of the popular branch of the Leg
islature to the Senate, Mr.. Wilson de-
clared that the sugar trust, anticipating the
passage of the Senate bill, had purchased
SlI2, 000,000 of sugar, the enhancement
upon which by virtue of the passage of
the bill would be 10000. 900. but subse-
quently reduced his figures to 100000.
The whole war between the Senate aud
House of Representatives arose out of
the fact that changes and notifications in
the tariff schedules of the country in
fuence the values of property. Dema-
gogism forbids that any conspicuous
gain should be made by the corporations
or trusts of the country; and yet changes
cannot be made in the tariff without en-
hancing the value of articles of COM
merce and even the staple products of
the country. The speculator observing
that these changes are about to take place
profits by them.
The Wilson bill, with Senate modifoa-
tions, has passed the House, and the Re-
publican leader, Thomas B. Reed of Maine,
dehantly declared that the Republicans
| would upset all this legislation; that the
next Congress would be Republican; and
that therefore within two or three years
the Republicans would repeal the Wilson
bill and would enact 8 new tariff sched-
ule.
It is and has been the curse of America
that both tariff and free trade measures
| have been afforded no test of their efici-
ency or value. It will be thousand
times better for this country that the Re-
publiosns shall fail of election than that
the country shall stand in q state of un-
certainty for two years to see whether
Reed and his compstriots are going to get
possession of Congress and make new
tariff bill. The growth of the country is
arrested to-day, and chiefly through tariff
tlnkering. If the tariff schedule enacted
| by the Wilson bill, when it goes into
operation, is even moderately satisfac-
tory, the country ought to demand that
| the Republicans shall pledge themselves
to let the tariff alone for at least one term,
and no Democrat should be elected to
Congress who would not pledge himself
/ - La
years.
The manufacturing interests of this
country are suffering more from the per-
petual menace of change than from any
other cause. The politician class have
tried to make the people believe that a
change IN the tariff would make them
rich; and so the Republicans raise the
cry that high protection is what the
country wants, and, securing control of
the National Legislature, such protective
measures are enacted. Fortunes are still
to be made only by industry, economy
and diligence; and so the Democrats raise
| the cry that high protection is the source
Of all our woes. A political revolution
ensues. Thus sober. plodding industry
is made the victim of political chicanery.
1t would be far better for this country
that the Democrats obtain majority in
Congress for fifty years than that any
radical and sudden change shall take
place in the tariff schedules of the coun-
try. No investment of capital need be
expected when such investment is made
under the menace of radical changes in
tariff rates If the legislation concerning
| tariff measures had been controlled by
wisdom, if slight and gradual modii-
cations had been made as the necessity
therefor might have developed, the value
or FOLLY of fiscal systems would have
| been demonstrated. But as the case
stands no system has been tested; none
has endured long enough to be proven by
results, while all have been menaced
with change and repeal from the day of
their enactment. A party should form
speedily in America against this battle
dore and shuttle-cock trifiing with the
great material interests of the nation.