New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-04-02

senator Frye. II Maine, has started discus
sion which may prove profitable. He has stated
that Majur Mckinley WIS not NOR" responsible
than several other men Tor the tariff which usual
Is bears bis name; that Speaker Reed was AT
least equally responsible. and The Republican
leaders In the senate The Senator only states
what we'll informed men already knew and his
staicmcn; does not and presumably WAS not i'll
tended o, detract from The credit due 10 Mr.. Me
Is ,nl,y ~ chairman - the Committee on Ways
and Means In that committee there were other
strong men. who had been selected 10y Speaker
Reed. with Mr. Mckinley himself Tor the c>p'-
cial purpos. Of framing a law cnboiying tcpub-
lcln principles. Certainly Governor Mckinney
would be- the last 10 claim that those members
had 10 part In the HONORABLE. work and il is equal
Is true that Speaker Reed was himself consulted
on many critical points
But the blll did not pass ~ ii cam" from III"
IIouSr CA that occasion there WAS no abjcct
and cowanlly surrender ~ legislative rights AMI
powers IL there WAS when the last Democratic
lIoris. passed the Scnatr's bill without an al
tempt 10 rccjlfy its many absurd mistakes The
senate committee, in 1890 was strongly organ
| Izcl and il also performed its duty thoroughly
and with fidelity Indeed, II spent 50 much tim"
in working over details of the bill that there
was not II little irritation among business men
and leading Republicans about delay which did.
beyond "A doubt. have much 10 do with the I'M
favorable. action OF the people al the elections in
the fall of 1890 Had The Senate been able 10 act
more promptly. the people would have had far
better opportunity 10 judge the effect Of the new
/ law. and would not have been easily bcfoolcd aS
10 It's influence upon prices. But for this dSas-
trouS delay The Senate Finance Committee WAS
not mainly responsible. The trouble was that
certain silver Senators, who were minded To sac
rifcr all other interests in order iO push their one
| idea. helped the Democrats to delay the Tariff
bill most unrcasonably
! The Senate Finance COMMITTEES made many and
quite important changes In the bill. So that 1t
| cannot properly be said To have been dictated
| either by the Speaker Of The House, or by the
! chairman Of the House committee. or by that
committee But all these facts. Of which there
can be- no dispute, put the brand Of falschood
upon the Democratic prctcncc that the act OF
| 1880 was In its essential features agreed upon
prior to the election Of 1883 The Republicans OF
the Senate Finance Committee did indeed en-
body in bill the changes they then desired in
stead OF the Mills BILL and it was generally ap
proved by the people in the subsequent elections
/ ~ ~
10 act, two years later, the circumstances had
! changed In many important respects and SO the
outline Of 1883 was not at all closely followed
either by the House committee of $500 or by the
| Senate committee, though the latter was con
| trollcd by The same able leaders who had framed
the report two years earlier. \ very little com
arison Of the two bills will suffice TO convince
any man that the story of Il compact in 1883
executed In 1890 Is essentially false and fraudu
lent The ablcst Republicans cndcavored on each
occasion 10 frame Il measure which would apply.
their principles 10 the conditions and circum-
stances then existing. and as these changed much
between 1883 and $780, the act passed by the
concurrent Judgment Of Republicans In 1880 was
not 10y any means the same as the measure they
had proposed two years earlier.
This reference TO the history proves that no
single man In the House or in the Senate can be
credited with responsibility for the tariff Of 1890
At least one Of ts important features was plainly
due to the urgent advocacy Of n statesman now
dead, Secretary Blaine Others Of importance
were suggested to leaders Of one house or the
other by President Harrison. The measure was,
In fact, the product Of consultation and combined
effort by all the abcst Republicans and repre-
sontcd with great fidelity the wishes and beliefs
Of the party with reference TO the conditions then
existing. Everybody knows that the conditions