Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1897-07-17
DELAY.
IT HAS COST THE COUNTRY
MANY MILLIONS.
Come Plain Facts About tho Progress
of the Tariff BiII-Had Republicans
Controlled the ecnatc 1t Would
Have Passed Long Ago.
unscrupuious obstructionists.


interruptions Obstructionists.
Washington correspondence:
Now that the tariff bill Is about 10
become n law. and now that many feel
that there was more time consumed in
it than there should have been, il IS
Well enough that the people should un.
derstand just where the delay occurred
and what party Is responsible for It.
The fact is, first, that the Repuhll-
cans do not control the Senate, and
are not, therefore, responsible for the
delay there. While they have desired
to discuss certain features Of Ii, they
have omitted TO do 50 whenever posi-
Bile. in order to prevent delay. 1t ~
the Democrats who have spent the
time since II was taken mp in the Sen
ute. and spent It in talk, The pressure
on the part Of the people for carly ac-
ton was so very great that the ltr-
pubiicans were willing 10 fOrego, for
the present, any attempt to answer tue
false and unjust charges which are
being put upon record and spread be-
fore the public by those Democrats
who are attacking the bill. and for po-
litical purposes.
The pressure from the people for ac-
ton on the hiIl is unusually great,
more so than has even been s"cn on
any occasion Of this kind. II Is not
surprising. of course, that people VINO
have suffered as Ours have, under the
depressing ana ~blighting Influences Of
the present tariff law, should be NIX
ioua, very anxious, FOR it's instant re-
peal and the substitution Of the protec-
tive system under which the country
was so prosperous for 50 many Yeas.
But 1t seems that they do not realize
the cmbarrasSnlau under which the
Republicans In the Senate have bech
laboring. If they were 10 stop Il mo.
ment and consider the fact thar the
Republicans are in an absolute minor
ity in the Senate. that their hands Lave
been tied, and that It is with the great
est difficulty and diplomacy TINT we
were able to COmamnd OF obtain q suili-
cicnt number OF votes for he protective
theory, they would not have been inn
patient, even under the distressing cir
cumstances with which they are sur
rounded. 1t has seldom, If ever, hap
prucd within the history Of the coun-
try that a tariff was enacted when the
two branches Of Congress were not
controlled by one party. Yet the Re-
publican party, with only 4 minority
in the Senate. has undertaken 10 pass
q protective tariff bill. No adminiStra-
ton. since Washington. eve saw n
tariff bill make such progress or aS
ncar completion at this date Ia It's his
tory as Is the ease at the present mo-
mcnt, even under The most favorable
circumstances, and now that this has
been accomplished. with the Itepublt
can party in a minority in the Senate,
unable 10 control that body with its
WI votes. absolutely unable to hasten
action by any Of the rules by which
debate Is controlled in other parliament
tary bodies, and simply dependent up
on the whims and political wishes Of
those who are opposed to II for permits
sion to proceed at all, it seems that the
people should realize that the Rcpub-
leans are doing all that is possible TO
hasten action, and should place the
blame for the delay whore It belongs
upon the Democrats.
1t il the Democratic party and its
leaders who are responsible for delay
in action upon the tariff bill In the Sen
ate. Had not the hands Of the Re
publiCans in the Senate been tied alb
solutcly, the bill would have been upon
the statute books long before now. The
Republicans have worked i'm season
and out of season to hasten action on
this bill. They have laid aside every
other consideration. They considered
the various items in the bill, schedule
by schedule, and paragraph by para
graph. in conference and caucus. and
before the Finance Committee day by
day, outside of the regular hours of the
session, and during hours of the SEES
sion. dCprivlng themselves Of the OPP
portunity to answer the criticisms
made upon the bill and upon the party.
simply for the purpose of gaining time
ana Fastening final action. They sat
their seats, quietly. in response TO
he demand of tho people that nothing
should Interfere with prompt action by
The senate. knowing that there was no
pthcr way by which they could hasten
he final vote. The Democratic mem
lcrs. recognizing the fact that the Re
l%ublicanS, in their anxiety 10 hasten
he passage Of the bin, were emitting
o answer the false charges made
.gainst the bill ana the party. proceed
d to pile up gr0undlss attacks and
harges. setting up straw men and
them for the purpose of max
ne cheap political capital, and the Re
,ublicans listened silently to these
nlse charges made simply because Of
pyalty to those who were demanding
rompt action. The fault Of delay is
OF with the Republican party. which
ocs not. and can not, control the Sen
tc but Is with the Democratic leaders
nd party, who are pcrSistcutly ana
unnecessarily and maliciously delaying
his heneicent measure, in order to
crmit their allies, the importers, to
II the country with foreign goods, ana
I the same time 10 embarrass and pile
p false charges against the Republi-
an party, and reduce the prospects of
during the first five months
f the operations OF the new law.
\. Il. CARSON.
Business and Wheat.
TIE keynote of the business situation
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