New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-02-24
A SELEDEFE4TING PARTY.

Human nature is So constituted that the plnch-
Ing Of n tight boot is usually forgotten soon after
II has ceased to pinch For that reason II was
not n sagac0rs policy for Democrats and silver
extremists 10 prevent any lettering Of business
conditions until after the Presidential election
Men differ widely in opinion about the probable
offect Of the House Tariff bill. had it become
law but there are not many practical men who
doubt that it would have given greatly needed
stimulus to wool growing and wool MANUFACTURE
and TO some other important branches OF posi-
ness Whether the Improvement had been much
or little il would at least have helped me people
TO forget in some measure or TO remember WIN
loss bitterness Of resentment. the heavy losses OF
the past three years.
Rnt II has pleased all the Democrats or the
Senate TO insist upon making the nght turn Oh
the act of 1894 with all lis defects ana blundcrS'
it's 'perfidy and dishonor 1t has pleased ihein 10
give the greatest possible weight ana importance
in the coming campaign To the herce uehuncid-
tons Of that measure by President CieVeiinu'
and by many Of the most inliuent'ai bci'io'i '''N
leaders and Journals Ammunition oI 'ha' we
scription is not to be despiSed III contest A'Oi
nlaces the party on the defensive. competing II
To excuse n measure which it bitterly uenOun''"
ond nevertheless refuses to alter The loss OF EN-
plovment and Of wages will prepare the H''iUs
Of many thousand Democrats to listen WIN ciose
attention to the arraignment By distinguished
Democrats Of the measure which the parry VIII
not hermit the Senate TO modify.
\ moro healthy state Of business next faii
v,ould undoubtedly diminish in some degree the
resentment of wage-earncrs toward the party Ill
nowcr In splte OF that. all Republicans were
avtromelv anxious to secure for the country ana
ito ,vogcearners that better state Of things. ana
II ,s to their credit that not one Of them has for
any na,1isan reason hcsitatcd To do all That he
could for the country and the people. the -four
who have helped the Democrats baNnG 'h'ir
oction ON Il desire 10 coerce The aority into
free coinage of silver When it was said last
December that dO-nothlng session would heIp
to make the people realize more clearly how much
mischief had been done by Democratic ieS'Sia-
,ion there was N once an cutlery Of Democratic
journalists against the shameless partisahship
~ such q suggestion. but now that the entire
body of Republicans in both houses Of Congress
have done what they could 10 secure safety for
the Treasury and better times for the people
every Democrat is found obstinately fighting
for the do-nothing policy, when was 80 u'-
nounced when it was imagined the KepuDlfahs
would prefer it, 1t is not as II the Democrats
themselves considered their tariff Satisfactory
or meritorious measure, for their own d'clarA-
tops prove that 1t was without heSIl,l"h re-
icc,ed by almost every Democrat in the House
and woud have been recalled and rejected by ihc
Senate itself had not the House discovering lIiA'
probability, suddenly determined To pu' through
the bill bad as it was. rather than have no new
tariff whatever 1t is this very measure as
crod,ted by nll its trainers and supporters. which
the Democratic party insists upon keeping III
force through the coming campaign TO It's own
disadvantage.
Presumably the main reason Is that assent 10
its modification would now be construed as
admission that the act was really al lhdeceh.
and improper one Democrats have been assured
that the bill will presently raise revenue enough
for the Government which will remove one OF
their objections to it. and they do not Ike to 90
into the campaign relying mainly on the excuse
that the excison by the Supreme Court or their
unconstitutional income tax caused deficiency
whore a surplus would otherwise have been real
ized But the situation is after all no better than
IT was In 1894 If the importatiOns under this
act become large enough 10 yield an adequate
| revenue. they will be large enough to PROSTATE
many Industries and throw multt'Nes of Amer
leans out of work, and in that case the upholders
! of the offensive measure will have to confront
more general and intense public indignation.
| The more nearly their bill accompshes what
they intended, the more votes II VIII cost 'ne
! party responsible for it,