The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1896-07-10
ACCIDENTAL FAME
THAT3 WHAT MKIgLgY5 TARIFF
REPUTATION RESTS Oh.

NIX AAAAAN Ah9A9 bAi
In Reality tie Has no Presidential
Qualifications, and Has Been
Nearly "a Failure Ia Both Private
aud Public Affairs.
The tariff act Of 1890 bears McKin-
loy's name, and for this reason, al.
most exclusively, has Major Mckinley
become known TO this country and as
sumed Presidential proportions IN tho
minds OF the politicians aud the peo-
pie who do not know him. Not only
has Mckinley been pretty much OF a
failure In both private and public Of
fairs, and is without qualifications as
a President. but he did not, in any
important essential, make OF even
draft tho bill which bears bis name.
There are seventeen schedules Of the
Mckinley bill. The books Of the
Ways and Means Committee contain
no evidence that Mckinley drew a sim
gle one Of these schedules. But even
supposing that Mckinley had drafted
much Of his bill, the Senate made 49S
amendments to il, Of which OF least
$50 we're radical changes. The three
special features of this famous bill
were:
On The tin-plate schedule.
~ The sugar bounty system.
l3l The reciprocity feature.
Mckinley was not the author of
any of these features. Senator ALI
son, in 1888. added to the Mills bill
a draft for a tin-plate schedule, which,
much elaborated, was put into the
Mckinley bill in 1890. Congressman
lnow SenatoI) Gear, OF Iowa, was the
author OF the sugar bounty system.
Mckinley did not want free sugar and
fought Gear long and hard. Gear at
last forced bis views upon the Ways
and Means Committee, and Mckinley
had to yield. The sugar bounty vas
Gears hobby to stimulate the beet
sugar industry in this country. It is
a pity that Mckinley cannot be given
credit for this specially bad piece Of
class and sectional legislation; but he
was not its author.
Not only did Mckinley not write
the reciprocity clause in his bill, but
he was it's most bitter opponent. In
February, 1890, Secretary Blaine met
the Republican members of the Ways
and Means Committee at the Ebbitt
House in Washington, and wrestied
with them for hours in an endeavor to
induce them to engraft a reciprocity
provision upon their bill Mckinley
was the chief obiector. Blaine finally
gave up the Job until the bill got out
of McKinley's hands and into the SEN
ate. 1t was there that he became SO
excited because the bill would not
open foreign markets for "another
bushel of wheat or another barrel OF
pork" that he smashed his silk hat.
Senators Aldrich and Edmunds,
aided by President Harrison,
drafted reciprocity provision
which they considered consti,
tutional, and without Mckinley
consent aud in spite of his opposition,
engrafted it onto his bill. In view OF
these facts, well known to all who
paid any attention to legislation in
1890, it is preposterous for Mckinley
or his friends to credit him with this
most popular and least Objectionable
features of "his" bill.
Mckinley seemed to think that none
but the beDefciaries of protection
ought to have a hand in making pro
tective tariff bills. AS Congressman
William L. Wilson showed the manu-
facturers themselves not only sug
gested, but wrote the most important
clauses affecting them. It is not re-
ported that Mckinley even protested
against this high-handed procedure.
1t is probably because Of this fact that
Mckinley has always been popular
with manufacturers and this is prob
ably why he commanded sufficient
capital to make him the most promi
nent candidate for the Presidential
nomination over many more deserving
and eminent Republicans.
Such is fame