The Washington weekly post., 1900-03-20
TAIL DOESN'T WAC THE DOG.
Sensible Advice TO Congress from West
ern RepHhliran PnRcr.


Fr0z tss s. PAIL eaius.l P.oas= Pres. March Is
The argument that party harmony In
Congress must be preserved seems TO
have played a large part in securing the
passage Of the Porto Rican tariff meas
ure In the House. IL has now put in an
appearance in the Senate and Is pressed
by the tariff advocates as a reason for
Passing the House bill. Under the cir
cumstances. IL Is difficult to imagine what
advantage there Is In "harmonlzing'
hundred Republicans in Congress IL the
result CRATES so harshly on the ears OF
million Republicans out OF Congress.
Party harmony and party discipline are
necessary for the effective working of
the machinery of legislation. as every
one recognizes. but Just what is 10 be
gained by preserving party discipline in
this Congress at the cost Of party con-
troll in the next does not appear Yet
that is likely 10 be the result if the tail
persists in wagging the dog. IL ought not
10 be necessary TO remind the Republi-
can leaders that Il is vastly more in
portant that the Republican party should
elect majority Of the next House OF
Representatives than that the Ways ard
Means Committee, or any other group Of
statesmen, should be sustained The
members OF the committee may feel sore
over the reception which their tariff
proposal has met from the press and the
people; but they will feel a great deal
worse II they, or a sufficient number of
their Republican colleagues, shall han
pen TO De left at home next November.
thus throwing the House into the hanis
OF the Democracy. The spectacle of a
PRESIDENT elected for a second term hut
racing an opposition House has not hoe,
intTequent in our political history. II
VIII be exceedingly unfortunata ,f
through the failure of Congress 10 ner-
form its plain duty" toward Porto Pfco
Dy giving the island free trade with the
United states, the spectacle shall he re-
peated In the case Of President NcKip-
ley. Ialk OF a campaign of education',
10 orlng the people around to the tariff
notion Is almost nonsense. Nothing can
De said that has not been said already
ana pretty carefully weighed. The ig-
horahce Is not quite so dense as some of
our Representatives seem TO believe ami !
a campaign Of education" would no IiI,e- |
~ 10 De merely an explanation that did !
not explain. 0'-
. "Aen IL is generally recognized in the !
senate that any change in the House hill |
would Jeopardize the whole tariff nrnno- /
sluOn by necessitating another vote in /
the House where a large number of Rem
resentauVes are anxious TO set themselves 1
right with their constituents. il wouId
seem TO be pure foolhardiness. from n /
pohucal standpoint, to insist on the tariff
The only possible reason why the Uouse !
desire to go back on their pre-
'lOuS record Is because they have found
lhat a large number of their constitu-
ents are dangerously disconteuUcd. A
change or only eight districts will throw
the House to the Democrats. if the to-
oacco and sugar interests are so dead
against the tariff as Mr.. TaWney has
US, it is some ones turn TO ex-
plain what influences or what section of
public sentiment will be offended by free
trade comparable 10 the hund eds Of tFou-
sands OF voters in all parts of the country
that will almost certainly be disgruntIed /
I tariff IS imposed. If Mr. Tawney was
mistaken, and the tobacco and sugar in
-erests will be offended, are they so DOW
erful in any Republican district, EXCEPT.
perhaps. in one or two in Connecticut, |
hat Congress can afford to ignore Indi-
ma, Illinois, Wisconsin, Michigan, Min
lesota, and North and South Dakota to
,lacate them? Whatever the merits of
he tariff proposition may be, political ex-
is overwhelmingly against il. A
revenue-producing tariff very possibly
would be better for the island than fee
rade, and an early determination of the
question involved is GER
ainly desirable, but looked at merely
rom the narrow view OF political STRAIT
.gy, as the Senate seems to be viewing it,
here could be nothing more fortunate
or the Republican party than that the
senate and the House should repudiate
he previous action of the latter, and pass
free trade measure.