The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-08-13


friends who denounced the German
Wilson tariff at its passage are now re-
joicing that II is making the business OF
the country prosperous
| Many OF the anti-Gorman Democrats
and mugwumps who, at the passage OF
the bill, insisted that II should be stig-
matized by the name of GoRMAN because
OF the malign influence exerted by the
Maryland man to defeat their purpose,
now want TO claim the bill for their own
because of the benehcent results that
have sprung from it,
II has even been said that Professor
WILSON, who, a few months ago, wanted
TO unhitch his name from the Gormanlzed
measure, now wants it tackled on again,
so beautiful have been the workings OF its
provisions.
The tariff bill, cursed by the tariff re-
formers as betrayer Of tariff reform,
spurned by the President, and going on
TO the statute books with an abject
apology from the self-appointed and only
simon-pure leaders Of the last Congress,
is now reclaimed as a masterly piece Of
legislation for which the country must be
thankful whilst waxing in prosperity
under its wise provisions.
In a word, our Democratic and mug
wump friends are showing a strong dis
position to make themselves ridiculous.
The main cause of the appalling busi-
ness depression which the country has
recently passed through was the threat OF
free trade, outspoken in the Democratic
national platform and thinly disguised
by the President and his helpers under
the name OF tariff reform. The evil effect
of the expected legislation was naturally
discounted in advance. Industry and
business are sensitive. They have long
feelers. They do not wait to be hit in
the head and knocked galley west They
draw back from the expected blow. And
accordingly things were worse before the
| Democratic tariff measure was finally de,
cided upon, than after the actual passage
| of that measure, because OF both fear and
uncertainty, and, by that same sign, busi-
ness has been since continually improving
| not because OF what that measure pro
vided, but because of what 1t did not pro-
vide, that had been feared, and because
the thing was, at any rate, settled.
Wool, for instance, has steadily ad-
vanced In price in recent months, despite
| the fact that 1t is on the free list In the
| German tariff. We hear lot of Demo-
cratic rejoicing and 81 told you SOS"
over wool. But as a matter Of fact wool
has advanced only after 90, 600, 600 pounds
OF American wool had been thrown out
of the American market and into the
by an abandonment of wool-growing to
the amount OF 5000, 600 sheep That's why
wool has advanced, because the American
industry was first throttled. The Ameri-
| can grower adjusted himself "to the new
conditions" by quitting business. And,
after all, the balance of the industry has
not yet commanded the rewards enjoyed
in 1s93-no. by a good deal.
AS to the woolen industry, that is pros
porous because the Wilson ultimate duties
of 15@35 per cent. on textiles were de-
feated- not passed, as the tariff reformers
would have it, The German duties on
cloths are 40@50 per cent, instead OF 80
per cent. as in the Wilson bill; on Brus-
sells carpets the Wilson duty was to be
ultimately rs per cent. 1t is now 40 per
cent.
The country has something indeed to be
thankful for. The German bill was not 80
bad as the Wilson bill. And times have
grown better because the measure that
passed the Fifty-third Congress was not so
iniquitous as the measure the Fifty-third
Congress undertook to pass under Profes-
sor WILSON'S direction. The Democrats
may be allowed what satisfaction is deriv-
able from contemplation of a condition
that is not so bad as ii might have been
and that's all there can be in II for them.
FRANK NJ. PIxLEY, a veteran journalist,
and editor OF the San Francisco Argo-
naut, is dead. PIxLEY's paper was, per-