The sun., 1894-05-03

Tr-itsrs. Socialists, Bsrrnissrs. spa I-Ss-
siiss 60 the Rsari

/ AhN Viu-lhshiUuNa tNeh N1hb law making "
an open proceeding. that the Executive de-
psrtment should hold alooi from It. and that
the Initiative and continuous control Of tariff
matters should be In the House Of Representa-
tivss IL seemingly obsolete. The Eagle cannot
he easily reconciled to such an assumption
Its realization can be accomplished not With
out virtual change in the Institutional work.
ing Of the republic. The people have ordered
no such change II they acouiesce in II with
out having ordered II. their spiritlessness is
less and their patriotism and intelli zence are
less than they ought to be. The application Of
tramp and hobo pressure to Congress is really
. not more lamentsble spectacle than the sub
stitution Of secrecy fof'publicity In leglsl.-
tlon. and the conjunction OF the White House
and the Capitol in business they were meant
| separately and. ind ep en- emily to consider.
Neither the excuse for nor tho results Of this
process justify It. The excuses for Il COM
prise the plea that this Congress must pass
bill or be discredited by the country. The
prestige Of the party is put above the welfare
OF the country by that plea It is an Illogical
and an immoral plea A bill OF tariff reform was
the promise OF the Chicago platform and OF the
Presidents letter Of acceptance. The people
at the polls ordered such bill They forbade
| any other kind. The kind has been utterly ig-
nored. Dicers oaths are not more lightly re-
gsrded than the obligation that any bill should
have reform character and. falling that, there
should be no bill at ALL
narfv hat t. ,1in
that drops reform out OF the pledge and
merely puts stress on tariff change, adds to
its own inndelity to It's word the injury Of the
country. Change merely for the sake Of
| change 10 mover defensible. Change for the
better is indispensable In tariff legislation,
else there should be none. for the tariff is the
one thing In which nxity. constancy. or per-
manence Is Of itself desirable. unless some-
thing gravsly better can be had. somethi
no better is necessarily worse. It dislocates
wantonly. It deranRes needlessly. and hence
wickedly.
Unsettlement without Improvement II sui
cidal. Unsettlement m erely for party prestige
Is the surest way to incense the country
against the party. When this unsettlement
without betterment. instead OF being quickly
effected. 10 deliberately protracted over q year
and hall. the distress. the peril and the in
dignation are increased. A palliative Of an
archy. the worst OF ills. is the fact that the
races instinct OF order makes that supreme
Ill the shortest OF all evils In duration. An ag-
gravation OF the tariff imbecility now mani
fest and prevalent 10 that It can be Indefinitely
procrastinatsd.
Business was stranded during 1893 BY this
imbecility. 1t has been prostrated for 1894 by
the same reason. The outlook on It for the
rest OF the Administration. II better, will be
better merely because It must change and
cannot change for the worse The capacity to
leRislate at all seems lost by the legislators
The strength OF the Government-and the
greatness OF the people-are best attested by
their ability to endure Congress and to dis
count It's imbecillty.
The results have been what rnight be ex-
pected from the process and from the excuses
for It A measure that came from the House
named the Wilson bill has been changed In |
nearly everything but its name. Virtually
nearly all but the enacting clause has been
stricken out. always excepting the income tax. |
which has been preserved as fetch to safe |
Southern hates and Western revenges on |
Northern thrift. Gaping all. the income tax |
which Kellys dnd Coxey's armies without law |
are collecting from railroads by train seizures |
and forced carriage. is to be by law levied on |
the returns which capital gets By the use OF |
property. after paying q tax on the property |
itself. The speeches by which these Grass |
protection AMI agrarian purposes are defended |
or attacked empty the Senate OF all except each |
speaker and the officers of the body. except
when some scene Of blasp ph envy and villincation |
is preeipitated. as was the case on Monday.
This state OF things 10 not Democracy. It
Is . surrender to protection and wallowing
in PopulIsm. and Democracy Is reversed by
both. 1t 10 not the Chicago platform. 1t is
not the letter OF acceptance. The two COM
prise the sole statement OF Democratic duty
and doctrine that is OF contemporary Demo-
cratic obligation. This protection and Popu-
list hodge podgs 10 q parody on Democratic
duty. 1t is the negation OF Democratic doc
trine tits release from Democratic obliGA-
tiGn. Those who substitute for Democratic
principles obedience to such as have flung
them to the winds. fatigue servility and par
AlEe the worst possibilities OF syeophaneY.
Hero worship may have something ennobllng
in 1t. Lesser idolatry is the sublimation OF
mental and moral unvIrility.
The Democracy OF New York will have none
of It. That which will have auRht OF 1t is not
the Democracy OF New York. Better a party
without . body to be kicked or q soul to be
damned. than one with body to be degraded
and soul to bs sehooled in shame. To-days
talk IL that . hugger-mugger that Is to be
called . Tariff Reform bill has been born IN
some hole or corner OF intrigue and negotia-
finn and that tia nartz Gan.tnra Ara Ill IA |