The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-10-25
ALMOST OUT OF THE FIELD

We said a few days since that Senator
Sherman had practically announced his
withdrawal from the presidential contest
by writing a book SO replete with frank
and accurate criticisms of tbs deeds and
misdeeds of some of the alleged great men
of his party, as to arouse a spirit of .s-
sentiment strong enough to sweep away
the last Log ON which his rather lndiffer-
ent chances stood.
1t looks as though Senator Hill of New
York is about to emulate the Ohio states.
man bv hedging on the tariff issue il his
speech delivered at the Democratic meet
ing IN Cooper Union night before last is
to be accepted as any criterion by which
his attitude on this question OF funda-
mental Importance is to be judged. His
prospects for the Democratic presidential
nomination were certainly badly shat
tered by the position he assumed when
the Wilson bill entered the senate, and
he fought its adoption because of the in.
come tax feature. If h, continues the
policy of hedging ON tariff reduction tn
demolition Will be complete. There is
no room in Democratic leadership in
national fight for tariff compromiser.
Dem ocrat with Republican or Wing ten
dencies the Democrat who believes or
processes to believe in protection as es-
ssntially incident to Il tariff, is past,
never to return. The day or the real
Democrat who dsrss stand up in the
broad light of day and denouace protec-
ton for what it is, not as baing partly
right o. incidentally beneficial, but as
altogether, absolutely and eternally
wrong in principle absurd in policy an /
disast Gus in effect has CONS, and come
to stay.
The very words thrift refo-m' have
become inadequate to express fully the
position OF contem pora neous Democracy
and the mem Der of the party who uses
them in any other sense than that
meaning the com plete eradication of he
Iniquties and in justices OF the protection
principle from our revenue system, is out
OF touch with the spirit of the organiza-
ton he processes, and at variance AS well
with the intelligent and independent
econ omic thoua bit of the era.
That the present tariff act is beyond
criticism no honest and consistent Dem
ocrat will for moment contend. But the
criticism that should lie directed against
it is not that which Senator Hill seem J
willing to employ, that the reductions
might be little too radical but rather
that they were not radical enough by far
In the latter particular. thu bill as 1t
came from the senate was an aggravating
disappointment to the D,omGratic party,
and fell goo1 deal short of being re-
spoasive to popular expectations. Too
much concession was male to the 'com-
mnnism of pelf. Too much considera-
ton shown the pets of special privilege s
TOO much was yielded to the buster and
threats of the political and journalistic
agents Of the associated monopoI1se
which had grown powerful and arrogant
as the beneficiarie1 of the privileges of
protection.
But unsatisfactory as the present tariff
act is from strictly Democratic point
of view it is UNNECESSARILY superior
to the Legislative atrocity it displaced ;
and it has practically demonstrated as
far a, it goes in the right direction that
the prosperity of the country is DEPEND
ent on altitudinous taxation and that
people are not ruined when the getting
OF things they need is made easier than
before.
II the senior senator from the Empire
state desires to be restored to good stand
ing in the Democratic party and reml,n
in the list of presidential posi- bii.ies,
he must keep pace with Democratic
thought. The next national Democratic
convention will doubtless declare n the
briefsss possible manner that the federal