The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-11-12
business Depression, He Says, II an
Enemy That No Political Party
Can SUCCESSFULLY Combat.
OTHER CAUSES CONTRIBUTED
CHIEF OF WHICH WAS THE DILATO-
ny ACTION OF THE SENATE.
He Thinks that fl the House Bill Had
Been Passed the People Would
Have Voted Differently.

NEW YORK. Nov. lin letter to the
press from Washington. Hon. William L.
Wilson. of West vidginia, chairman of the
committee on ways and means. gives his
views of the causes of Democratic defeat
in the recent election After declaring that
it is neither discreet nor dignifed
thing for member of a defeated party to
attempt to explain his own or his partys
defeat, he says: "Nonetheless, however,
1t Is the duty of the Democratic party
after such reverse to make a deliberate,
honest and unsparing scrutiny into the
causes and forces which wrought its over
throw and into the condition upon which
1t may regain its ascendency with the
American people. Undoubtedly there were
Individual candidates. and factional fights
that contributed to, and emphasized the
general result but ii must be admitted
that there were srong forces everywhere
operative, that really shaped and brought
about that result. And the greatest OF all
these forces was the severe industrial de-
preston that for year or more past has
hardened the lot and made anxious the
lives of large section of our people
Hard times is an enemy before which
no political party in America has ever been
able to make a successful, stand In power.
This is. and perhaps always will be, weak
point in popular government When labor
is out of employment. when farm products
are low, when our financial system Is dis
organized, the wisest administration Of
government and the most wholesome laws
do not avail to save the party from tenn
porary and disastrous overthrow. More
over. the whole teaching of the protective
system trains men to depend. not on in
ofr rlo In pfu ~ Ind
thrift and temperance. for business pros
perity and material comfort. but on govern
ment aid and laws of Congress.
LET me add. Also that We. together with
all our progressive Nation. are now passing
through an era of change, OF unrest and of
somewhat tumultuous agitation. The rapid
adoption of the great instruments of mod
ern industry and trade. the complete rev.
olution which these are bringing about in
production, In distribution, their steady OBJ
liberation of immemorial handicrafts their
dislocation OF many industrles-all these.
together with the unsettled relations be-
tween labor and capital, have swept US into
an era where for some years 1t may be
increasingly difficult for any ore party to
shosS on to the federal government tQr any
long time.
without attempting to apportion the re-
sponsibilities for the hard times between
the two parties, and stoutly disclaiming any
large share of it for the Democratic party,
1 pass from these concentrations to the
second point and that Is, the defeat of
tariff reform I do not believe the people
have rebuked or discarded tariff reform in
their action last Tuesday. for when look
over the whole country 1 do not find that
to have been the common ground of their
action. No question was ever so well and
SO thoroughly fought out in popular dis
cussion before them as the question OF re-
forming or reducing the tariff. In every
campaign from that Of 1886 to that OF 1897
1t has been the great Issue. and in every
campaign except that of 1888 the Democratic
party has won decided victory on tina,
issue. To contend, therefore, that the peo-
pie have now chastised the Democratic
party for doing what they put into their
power to do is to question their honesty
and intelligence. II they have inflicted
chastisement because of it's dealings with
the tariff 1t has been rather because the
party did not carry out with sufficient
promptness and thoroughness the worl
they committed to 1T, and because they have
held the whole party responsible for the
action of few of its representatives In
| thwarting delaying and manning this great
| work. The long and indefensible delay IL
the Senate. the sinister suspicious that
| gathered around certain schedules and du
| ties as they were framed-nowhere more
| vigorously denounced than in the Demo
| cratic press of the entire country-kindlet
| disappointment and disgust among tn,
rank and file of the party that led to apath.
| and zen misjudged hostility in the recen
| elections.
ut is hazardous of course, to indulge In
| hypothe tics, but have no doubt that hae
first day of February passed the Senate
| as early as April or May, In substantially
it's original shape. the result in Hissour
| would have been reversed and the Demo-
cratic party might even have sseathered the
Not only did this long delay and he mu
1 tilation of the House bill chill and anger
the Democratic masses, but 1t kept ths
and exasperating the crisis, and storing uT
actions e sma number Of it's 0p pub, 5h
| though, a vast Improvement on the McKin
its features that the Pre- sident allowed i
to become a law without his Signature
time before then the elections M for The people ts
see and appreciate its benefits.
| Again, l do not accept the view tha
| tariff reform has suffered defeat, becaus,
have not anywhere found Republican can
1 didates advocating a repeal of the law
| They have denounced 1t In general and de
| claimed against some rates which the,
| deemed locally objectionable, but nowher'
| presented an Affirmative platform demand
ins its repeal and return. to prior cendi
tions. In tariff reform. as In reforms gen
| orally, 1t is the first step is the hardest
| and have always contended in Congress
| and on the hustings that IL We could onll
| make a substantial breach in the protec
ton system, the first reform and its visi
| BILE benefits would carry them to gradua
| overthrow Of the entire system without an
| general agitation, such must preced,
| and mark first victory and without tn
turmoil and uncertainty which ARA.
| against such q movement as that part o
| the business community which dread
| nothing so much as change. By 1896, le
| US hope the present clouds already break
| ing will have vanished from skies
| The new bill will then have shown it
merits. the temporary scare and resent
| ment against 1t will have spent their force
| and I do not believe the Republican pro
| gramme VIII call for its repeal and a re
| lapse to McKinleyism and mad protec
| tion.' Every one knows that such reaction
would not mean peace, but q fierce and un
relenting renewal of the old struggle"
Wilson VIII Not Succeed Olney.
| WASHINGTON. Nov. u.-Chatrman W