New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-05-08
THE PAUSE.

More than sXty-seven years ago one OF the
greatest, II not absolutely the greatest, OF Amerl-
can statesman in a celebrated speech peSan
with nm exhortation 10 initiate the example or
tho mariner who. having been tossed for many
davs in thick weather and on an unknown sea,
naturally availed himself Of the first pause IN the
storm the earliest glance Of the sun. 10 take MS
latitude and ascertain how far the elements had
driven him from his true course. Let us repeat
the figure and apply it to existing political con-
dtions Let lis take our latitude and ascertain,
,f ve NAV how far the elements OF current
windy politics have driven us from the true
course And let us further, In pursuance OF the
Websterian figure, refer to the point from
"vhich we departed. that we may at least ne
"able m conjecture where we now are
What constitutes the real difference between
tho creat parties as they now stand? 1t GER
,ainJv Is nothing that relates to the War OF the
Rebellion. Those differences by common con-
sent are disposed Of and no longer disturb or
senarate us Is it the tariff? Whoever stops to
think will realize that the line between the great
narties on that subject which came by inner
itance from the ante-b eum period and grew
N he distinctly drawn at the end Of the recon-
structon period with the necessity for change
from war taxes TO a scientific system Of revenue
and finance has been growing dim and shadowy
within the last eight years We have been
passing through the experimental period. The
country has been trying 10 find its way to
sound basis of taxation. 1t wanted encourage
mon, for It's own industries in competition with
foreign labor and in 1890 the Mckinley tariff
furnished it. 1t was not absolutely perfect.
There was Il revulson. In 1892 the pendulum
,bo pyt and there
apparent verdict in favor of a tariff for revenue
only. The party that advocated 1t and made 1t
n campaign shibboleth. having come into power
upon thc strength Of it, shrank from the respon-
sibility of putting it in the form of an enact
ment paltered with IT, and concluded by passing
a bill that was neither one thing nor the other.
II did not afford revenue enough to carry on the
Government and was so far from protecting
anything that for four years all our industries
langnlshed and only general distress prevailed.
So. then with another swing Of the pendulum
the Republican party came back to power upon
the issue of Protection II is now charged with
the responsibilities thereby devolved. II is en-
deayoring to discharge them, as we believe. not
only with sincere conscientiousncss in reference
to the general principle TO which ii stands com
mitted but with what is better. If possible, a
and the capacity for meeting them in the broad
spirit Of craftsmanship rather than The narrow
ness of partisan bgotry.
Meanwhile. nothing is more obvious than that
with the changed conditions the relations Of
PARTIES have changed Or, to state 1t more care
fully the relations Of the men who compose the
great parties have changed The experience Of
both parties In the making Of tariffs has brought
wisdom Except for party traditions they are
not so far apart upon the details OF what may
be called the revenue functions Of the Govern
ment Another issue has crept in and has swift
ly become the most prominent and most potent
IN all our politics That is in brief, whether the
Nation Is at heart honest; whether 1t means to
do business honestly, to discharge its obliga-
tons dollar for dollar and conduct its affairs on
the high plane of honor and uprightness or de-
scend to the trickery Of scaling our debts and
buying up our obligations at discount. We
need give ourselves no further trouble about the
tariff. We shall have a revenue measure that
will bring US income enough to meet our outgo