Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-21
CAUSE OF DEFEAT
The Presidents Letter to Mr.. Viii
son on the Tariff.
IT SET THE PARTY By THE EARS
Mr.. Cleveland and His Advisers
Held Responsible.
WHAT NIGHT HAVE BEEN

WHAT NIGHT HAVE BEEN
A democrat of national reputation, who
stands by his party through thick and thin;
who helped in the campaign of last year and
in the campaign of this year; who deplores
the straits to which his party has been re-
duced, and fears that it may be long before
it RECEIVERS said to a representative of The
Star today:
The Wilson Letter.
"Our most serious difficulties date from the
publication Of the Presidents letter to Mr..
Wilson denouncing the Senate's work on the
Wilson bill. 1 regard that as the most I'M
fortunate deliverance ever made by party
leader, and I know that its effect has been
felt ever since. I don't care to go into the
history of that letter. In fact, don't know
that l could accurately do SO if 1 desired.
The stories about it are conflicting. One
declares that the letter was not intended for
publication. Another declares that 1t was;
that it grew out of a conversation held be-
tween the President and several OF his
closest friends, who We're struck with his
observations they persuaded him to put
them on paper, and assured him that when
given to the country they would knock the
Senate opposition into a cooked hat. But,
whatever the true story, the letter came, the
Senate's work was not knocked into any
eccentric kind of headgear, but the party
was. How soon, If ever, We are to crawl out
of that receptacle of disaster is problem.
The Situation at the Time.
let me recall the situation to make my
words good. The Wilson bill. as it came
from the House, was very far short of
meeting the demands of the treasury. No
body will dispute that proposition now. In
fact, 1t looked very much like bill that
had been purposely left unfinished, in order
that the Senate might be forced to take the
initiative with regard to certain risky
phases of revenue legislation. 1t failed by
RAINY millions to provide revenue enough,
and the Senate had to face the music. Well.
the Senate did face the music, and provided
for additional revenue. But this was not
done in a corner. The President and Sec
rotary Carlisle were consulted at every
stage of the game. and as the work drew
to a close the understanding In the Senate
was that the bill amended by the Senate
was. in the main. acceptable to the Presi-
dent. 1t was not wholly acceptable to any
body. The Senate, no more than the House,
had had its way. The situation was such
and were made The Senate made quite
as many as either the House or the Presi-
dent.
Effect of the Letter.
cat this point-at the eleventh hour. when
the bill was in conference and rapidly APP
preaching a vote-the Presidents letter
vas published. The Interpretation put
upon 1t we all know. The Senate felt itself
more than insulted. and struck back. There
were at least four members of that body
Mr.. German. the democratic leader. and
Messrs Vest and Jones, and Harris. who
had negotia ted all the compromiSes-wh
felt that they had been betrayed. 1t was
in the nature of astounding news to them
to be told that they had been working in
private instead of in public interests, and
that the labors OF their hands in the minds
OF the people would be tinctured with per-
fidy and dishonor' Those words pene-
trated to the quick, and they were warmly
resented. Then began the inevitable. The
friends of the President defended him. and
the friends of the aggrieved Senators de-
Tended them. and the cross-fring has been
kept up ever since. Meanwhile, the repub-
leans have made excellent partisan use Of
the Presidents letter-have even extended
its meaning and application-and the demo-
cratic party. far more than either the Pres
idsnt or the Senate. has been the sufferer.
The people have had 1t shouted at them for
eighteen months now that the democratic
party according to the statement of it's
own President. is led in the upper house of
Congress by unworthy and incompetent
men, ard that 1t ought to be deprived of
power. Well, it has been, and there you
are
Would Have Been All Right.
rs IL your opinion tldl ndu lHe TIeSi-
dents letter not been written, but the Will
son bill as amended in the Senate been
permitted to go through without such criti-
c.sm. the party would have escaped the
rocks upon which it has been cast?"
TT is, most decidedly. OF course 1 do
not mean to say that we should have had
no rough water Smooth sailing for any
party after revising the tariff laws Is not
to be expected. Some interests are bound
to be disturbed, and you are certain to feel
their resentment at the next election. But
the point was to pass tariff bill, which,
while reducing the protection figures of the
schedules, would yet raise revenue enough
to support the government. Had that been
done, without the bitter wrangle which was
precipitated by the Presidents letter. all
would have beer well. And that was what
the Senate's amendments had been con-
structed to accomplish. And you must take
into consideration the fact that neither the
Senate nor the President knew at that time,
could know, what the fate of the income
tax Was to be. Had that tax become opera
tive, at least thirty millions would have
been added to our receipts; and with no de-
felt in the treasury, and tariff bill yield
ing us all the money needed for current eX-
penses, we would have been united and
have carried this years elections hands
down. But, 1 have already said, the
Presidents letter to Mr.. Wilson set us by,
ton of the income tax added to our dis
comature before the people. and over
whelm!ng defeat, was to be expected,
has been our portion.
The Responsibility Fixed.
"And so you hold the President and his
advisers in the Wilson letter matter re-
sponsble?"
81 do They share and share alike in the
authorship of cur undoing."
who We're the Presidents advisers in
that matter?'
my information being at second hand, l
do not care to say. 1t satisfies me, how
ever, as to their identity. l may say this
much: They are not members of the House
lust coming together, nor, in my opinion,
are they likely to be members of any fu-
ture House. Put them all down under the
family name of Dennis
Field to the Little Boston Girl.
Under date Of October IA little Boston
girl wrote this letter to Eugene Field:
Dear Mr.. Field: I love you. I put your
fora lat at NV ocIa