Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1900-01-12
TROUBLE BETWEEN FRIENDS
An Open Rupture Between the Allied
Forces of Doodle and
BuncOmbe.

If there was any one thing which the
tariff protectees felt entitled to count
upon it was the full and unremitting
care of their interests by the Mckinley
administration. Mr.. Mckinley was the
great panjandrum of the tariff system
and Mr.. Hanna was his prophet. And
both of them assured the beneficiaries
of that system that never-no, never
would there be any action on the
part of the administration which would
tend to weaken the right of the tariff
barons to plumber the rest of the pop
ulation. 1t was precisely upon the
strength of this representation that Mr..
Hanna, in the summer of 1896, took his
trusty skillet in his hand and proceeded
to extract from the protected manufac-
turers grease sufficient to lubricate the
machinery of the republican party-the
results being made evident al the cleo
ton in November. The famous fat
frying" tour was successful only be-
cause the tariff barons reposed con-
fdence in the firm OF Me & Mac. 1t APP
pears that that confidence is i'll re-
Quilted.
At all events there is much dissension
over reciprocity bills, as well as over
the proposed measure which would es-
tablish free trade between the United
States and our new colonial possession
of Puerto Rico. The views of the ad-
ministration respecting the beauty of
a prohibitive tariff have undergone
some change during the last is months,
owing to the expansion policy which IS
now dearest to the heart of the pres
ident and Mr.. Hanna. The views of
the tariff beneficiaries are naturally I'M
changed, and there the issue is joined.
The administration desires to let down
the bars a trifie SO that trade can ''fol-
low the flag The contributors to the
fat fund of 1896 demand the fulfillment
of their contract. The result is much
bitterness on both sides.
1t is amusing, indeed, to listen to
some of the determinations. Selfish
ness" plaintively declares the Washing
ton correspondent of an administra-
ton organ, Jumps to the front in an
effort to defeat every reciprocity meas
ure proposed by the government" That
is, the administration seeks to wriggle
out of it's contract with the protected
manufacturers, and those gentlemen
respond by lobbying to defeat such a
contamination. And Mr.. Kasson, the
reciprocity commissioner, walls bitterly
that IF there be 40 articles in treaty
in which the United States have the
advantage and one in which something
is given to the other fellow, nothing is
said in this country about the 40, but
all the people interested in the other
one-whether it be rice or sugar or to-
bacco or files or hoes or ausages-raise
a howl and pelt the senate with APP
peals to eiect the whole thing"
This is very sad, indeed, but it was to
have been expected. How can the aG-
ministration make fish of one tariff
beneficiary and flesh of another? Was
it not nominated in the bond that a wall
should be built around the entire coun-
try which should keep out competition
absolutely? And of what value is a wall
which contains a gate through which
foreign rice or sugar or tobacco or files
or hoes or sausages may enter to the
great injury of honest gentlemen who
paid large sums to elect Mr.. Mckinley
president? How can that statesman
defend his course in seeking to repu-
diate his contract?
He may try to do it, but he will fail.
What is more to the purpose, his efforts
toward a measure of commercial free
uOlH are also likely 10 TALL OF, as the
disconsolate correspondent already
quoted admits, the tariff barons swing
the senate about as they please, and.
though the sovereign may command,
he cannot execute. The firm of Me &
Mac will be forced to carry on its con-
tract willy nilly, and, as it will do so
under compulsion, it can claim no
credit for the proceeding.
The cheerful feature of the situation
is the open rupture between the hither-
to allied forces of Doodle and buncombe.
When certain people fall out certain
other people are likely to get their own
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