The Republican journal., 1897-06-17
Our Washington Letter.
CORRESPONDENCE of The Journal.

pressure which is being brought upon it
by the country for rapid action on the
tariff bill, has held session early and late
and pushed through the bill at rate of
speed absolutely unparalleled in the his
tory of that ordinarily slow going body.
To see Senate controlled by no cloture
rules, and no system such as that by which
the House exredites business, move a t the
speed with which this one has moved upon
subject which ordinarily takes such a
vast amount OF time in that body is unpre-
cedented.
1t is sometimes possible, upon subjects
which have no party bearing and do not
involve vast consequences, to obtain speed
in consideration by the Senate. But that
body not controlled by the Republican
party, or by any other single party, indeed
having no rules by which debate can be
controlled, should be able to take up and
make the progress upon purely party
measure, such as protective tariff bill,
that mas been made by the Senate since it
began work upon this measure, is an en-
tirely unheard- of thing. That this should
have happened within a few months of the
close of one of the most bitterly fought
campaigns that the country has ever seen
is the more remarkable. And that people
should go on complaining because still
greater speed is not made under these re-
markable circumstances cap scarcely be
accounted for, except upon the theory
suggested by gentleman recently quoted
in this correspondence. that the state of
nervous prostration to which the Cleve-
land administration brought this country
has rendered the people to some degree
irresponsible and unwilling to measure
things expected by those that have hap
pened in the past
People who are impatient about the
supposed delay of Congress in passing the
tariff bill should look little into the his
tory OF tariff legislation in the United
States. No Congress, even when both of
its branches We're controlled by single
party, has. within the memory of the
present generation, made the progress
which this one has with tariff bill and
no President since Washington has had
an opportunity 10 attach his signature to
tariff law within as brief a space of
time after his Inauguration as will Will
liam Mckinley, unless some entirely I'M
expected development shall interrupt the
progress toward its early completion.
There is good reason to believe that the
tariff bill will pass the Senate within the
present month and that President McKin-
ley will have an opportunity to sign it with
in four months of the date of his inaugu-
ration. Even President Lincoln, who
came into otfice under extraordinary con-
ditions and circumstances and with war
in prospect, did not sign his first tariff
act until August ), 1861 President Will
liam Henry Harrison called Congress in
special session shortly after his Inaugural
ii on on March 4. 1S41, because of the con-
dition Of finances and revenue, vet that
Congress did not put its tariff bill upon
the statute books until August 80, 1872
President Polk, who was inaugurated
on March 4. 1915, did not sign his
tariff act until July 80, 1876; Pierce. who
was inaugurated in 1858, signed his
tariff act March 3, 1857: Grant was inaugu-
rated March /, 1869, and signed his first
tariff act July IA, 1870, and another June
&, 1872: the Garfield administration was
inaugurated March 4, 1881, vet the tariff
act signed by President Arthur was dated
March ), 1882: President Benjamin Har-
rison was inaugurated March 1, 1889. and
signed his first tariff act October l. 1890:
Grover Cleveland and his free trade Con
gless came into power March 4, 1898, vet
the Wilson tariff which he refused to
sign. did not become law until August
IS, 1894. In nearly all of the above cases
both branches of Congress were in accord
with the Executive politically, a single
party controlling Senate as we'll as House.
When it is considered that the Republican
party, which controls the House, has now
but 43 of the SO members of the Senate,
the fact that it's leaders have been able to
make the speed which they have develop
ed in the consideration of this and other
important legislation should satisfy the
most exacting, if they but take the
trouble to compare present conditions and
present progress with that of any other
period in the history of the country.
Notwithstanding the fact that the tariff |
bill has not yet been placed upon the tariff |
books, and that the revival of industries |
and business cannot be expected to make
itself apparent in full degree until such
action shall be had, the reports from bust i
ness centres which reach members of Con-
gress here are extremely gratifying. Dun
Review, which is accepted as a reliable
business barometer, not controlled or in
f1uenced by political or other causes which |
would affect its accuracy, presents the
most satisfactory trade statement for last |
week that has been made since the present
business depression began. The state
ment was remarkable in its showing of the
6en6a6 6poyaaca ha, &c oil