Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1894-05-03
PENCIL POINTERS.


The predicament i'll which the Demo
cratic party is now placed is very
amoosin to Republican. The Demo-
cratic leaders and would be leaders assert
that the Democatic party was voted into
power in '92 to reform the tariff" and
their platform pledges must be redeemed.
In short, the tariff must be reformed
without delay. That far it goes easily
enough. But the Democratic Congress
has been engaged for months in reform
ing the tariff, and it is not yet reformed.
The hitch grows out of the fact that
there is no agreement as to what tariff
reform means. To the Democrats of
Louisiana it means protection for sugar
and free trade in everything else. West
Virginians think duty on coal only is
meant, and thus throughout the list.
They are in the position of having agreed
to do something of which they know
nothing. The Democratic Senators much
resemble the blind men who saw the ele-
phant, and that is why the fate of the
tariff bill is in doubt. They are forninst
the Mckinley bill because Republican
measure, but they have learned that it
is one thing to denounce bill and quite
another TO frame an acceptable substi-
tute. If they can ever agree on defini-
ton for tariff reform" they may pass
tariff bill
1t is proposed to have an American
Academy, and two bills have been put
before Congress to this end. A commit
tee of three from the Senate and House
are to select five members who are to
these five shall select twenty associates,
the Academy being restricted to twenty
five. Only when member dies is another
to be appointed. The plan is similar to
those OF various other countries-notably
that of France there are forty
members. No doubt the plan is a good
one. But its development in this country
will be different from anything before
heard of the world over We have so
many more than. twenty great men,
that the bitter jealOusies, engendered by
the choice of the august body, may cause
the numerous other great men to rise up
like COxey. 60 to Washington, and destroy
the originals.
ALTHOUGH the United States Circuit
Court decided the Nichols tax law un-
constitutional, the Supreme Court of
| Ohio in decision rendered on Tuesday,
sustains the law. The decision of the
State Court in this matter is paramount
to the decision of the U. S. Court, and
unless the case is taken to the United
States Supreme Court and decision ad-
verse to the law there obtained, the law
will stand, and the revenue of the State
| of Ohio will be increased accordingly.
The fact that there has been decision
both for and against the law places the
matter in rather uncertain state 1t is
the opinion of some that the case cannot
be taken higher, and that the decision of
the State Supreme Court is final. How
ever it is, it seems that the law is in a
fair way to stand as successful attempt
to enact general laws under our present
| constitution.
At one other period in the history of
the country armies were marching on
Washington. At that time, however, the
National Capital was in the hands of
Republicans. If Washington were now
in the hands of Republicans, there would
be no armies recruited from the idle
workingmen of the country to march to
the seat of legislation. What the com
monwealers want, though they may not
know it, is the unconditional rejection by
the Senate of the Wilson bill. With the
return of plenty of work and general
prosperity, such as prevailed before
Cleveland and the horde of unruly legis
lators took command of the country, the
"armies" would melt away like snow
before the south wind.
At the special election held in the
Third District on Tuesday to choose a
successor to Congressman Houk, decd,
Sorg, the Democratic candidate, was
elected by about 1900 majority. The
normal Democratic majority in the dis
| friof ic ohont oO0 Major Dafhhopa