The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1894-04-04
Mr.. WILSON AND
Mr.. TARSNEY.
Two Members of the Ways and
Means Committee and Their
Theories on Tariff.
DISCUSSED BY 4 FORMER SOMERSET Soy.

From the Kansas CiEy Journal
believe the Democratic party, true to
its history, its doctrinal traditions. its po-
Utica dogmas as expressed in its plat
forms; TO its conventional and Tostrum
announcements, and its innate, heTedita-
ry antipathy 70 the working classes, IS at
tempting to perPetrate a deliberate and
diabOlical crime The same spirit that
upheld slavery IN the last, oppressed
the zeiots in Greece, created the serfs Of
Russia and enslaved the workingmen Of
continental Europe and England under
the feudal system finds expression in the
Wilson tariff bill, and seeks 70 bind the
workingmen Of America in the bonds Of
degrading slavery to the money interests
Of the East and England. Might made
this spirit powerful in the Old World /;
cantrol Of legislation makes it potent on
the western continent. The spirit is the
spirit of retrogression and it dwells in
the past. The onward tendency Of the
human race is odious TO it. In Russia 1t
is the car and sends its opponents to
Siberia in France it destroys It's enemies
by os;racism and the guillotine; in Eng
land it is the house of lords and stands
in the path Of libedy; in America it is
the Democratic party and the ways and
means committee Of the present con-
gress.
The leading member Of this commit
tee is fairly respectable country lawyer,
residing in a small town in West Virgin
ia He IS also a college professor and
an accredited political and professional
doctrinaire Of the Calhoun type, who,
previous 10 his advent in congress, was
Of some local renOxn in the mountains
Of his state. By what chance he was
made Chairman Of the ways and means
committee, or for what reason he was
called to the first position on the leading
and commercial committee Of the present
congress, is question that only the per
nicious spirit that controls the Democrat
ic party, in its opposition to American
Interests, can answer. 4 better exponent |
Of tie doctrines and theories Of the re- /
latiOns Of labor to commerce, as held by |
the slavocracy Of the South, and the Op-
pressors Of man in all times, could hard /
Iy be found.
His willingness 10 sacrifice the leading /
and principal producing interests Of his
own state to the theories Of his college /
and the dogmas of his party are, from a
Democratic standpoint, perhaps his most 1
commendable characteristics. Free coal |
and free lumber will materially and ru-
inously reduce the value of the coal and /
lumber output Of West Virginia Incl /
dentally, the commercial value of prop 4
erty interests Of every kind will be af- /
fected. As vas shown to Mr. Wilson by /
a committee from bis own state, the Ia 4
borers in the MINIS and forests will suffer
more even than the proprietors. Facts
are never salient arguments to theorists
whose commercial experiences have been /
confined within the limits Of the class
room. When the Sherman law was
about 10 be repealed, believe it was Mr.
Wilson who loudly proclaimed the im-
mediate collapse Of the money panic in
case the repeating act should become q
law. The complete demonstration Of I
silver, by reason Of the repeal Of the .
sherman law, has rendered the financial .
situation grave beyond the experience Of /
all men nov living, and believe beyond /
the experiences OF all past genera,i3n3 Of /
men.
The small matter Of srscking tie m0n-
etary system, together with the CO uner-
cial system Of the country, does not seem
even to suggest 10 Mr.. Wilson that in i
his attempt to force his peculiar theories j
Of finance and commerce on the country /
he may be 'hoist with his own petard"
1 believe once in his history Mr.. VIII /
son attempted something practical (2l and /
tried to control the heterogeneous ele-
ments that made up the Democratic con
vention OF 1891. As a parliamentarian
his efforts were like his prophesies re-
garding siiver-''full OF sound and fury
-signifying nothing" There is no more
reason to suppose Mr.. Wilson's tariff the
ories viii be effective, his utteranees re-
garding silver come true, than there is
for insisting his parliamentary theories
put in practice were able to control the 4
turbulent spirit Of Democratic eonyen-
ton.
Mr.. Wilson's bill classes coal as "raw
material" and puts it on the free list.
Coal on the dump consists of % per cent
labor and 10 per cent. ~raw MATERIAL
American coal as compared 10 British
coal consists Of % per cent labor and
per cent. nav material. Iron ore bears
to raw material about the same relation
as coal. yet the laborer in the coal and
iron mines, well fed, hOu led AMI clothed,
must pat himself into competition with
inferior labor, not 50 well housed, cloth
ed or fed, because Mr.. Wilson has a the
ory tha, what he the laborerl produces
is raw" material. There Is no such thing
as raw material. There IS material CON-
mercislly 50 classed, bat its principal in
gredient is labor, and the free admission
Of iron and coal simply means competi-
ton between the labor producing iron
and coal. There is nothing truer than
that this competition will be detrimental
to American labor and its interests Dis
elimination against the American labor
er, however, seems fully within the Pur-
view Of Mr. Wilson's theories
Mr.. TarsneY, like his confrere theorist,
is lawyer better known as q politician
with weakness for carrying his ward in
his pocket, than in the higher walks Of
the profession. An ex-Union soldier.
with good record, opposed to the pay
ment Of pensions to those who suffered
in the battles fought for the freedom of
labor on this continent, be seems 10 have
become a convert 10 the theories Of evil
associations at Washington, and 10 be
equally anxious a. his party to advance
the interests Of the money power. More
q Democrat than an American be appears
willing as Mr.. Wilson to sacrifice the ma
terial interests ofhis own State at the de-
msnd Of those he opposed during the re-