Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1906-05-24
PROMISES OF DEMOCRATS.
The Party Will, If 1t Gets a Chance,
Do Some Wonderful Things
-Yesp

II is the privilege Of a minority par
ty to tell of the great and good things
it will do if the peopl, will but give
1t a commission to make and execute
the laws.
Therefore, says the Chicago Chron-
icle, Mr. Williams, of Mississippi, the
leader of the minority in the house of
representatives at Washington, was
acting within his rights when he took
two hours to tell ha.f of what the
Democratic party would do on the
condition stated and reserved the 9TH
er half to tell next day.
1t was his privilege to make his
boasts in his own way of what his
party would do if given a chance to
put It's armor on, but one may venture
to suggest that in soliciting public fa-
vor a representative of the Democratic
party would be more likely to succeed
If he should exercise moderation in
view of the record that party has
made for itself and of certain notori
GUS facts regarding the present in
gradients of the broth in its Kettle
and caldron. 1t is hardly wise to call
attention to these things by confident
ly promising what everybody knows
the party can never agree to perform.
Addressing the Republican side Of
the house, Mr.. Williams said: "If you
don't revise the tariff we will If you
don't admit Oklahoma and Indian ter
ritory we will. If you don't pass a
Just and reasonable rate bill we will"
These confident boasts convince no.
body. They only remind people of
things.
They remind people that the Demo-
cratic party was intrusted with power
In 1892 upon an unequivocal and
doubly emphasized pledge to revise
the tariff and that the result was sat
isfactory to no one.
The party came into power on the
4th of March, 1893. An extra session
of the Democratic congress was held
the following summer, but the tariff
was not touched. 1t was not until the
summer of 1894 that a tariff bill was
passed.
The bill passed was a nondescript.
1t was based on no principle. 1t was
protective in the main and free trade
in spots. 1t differed from the tariff
1t displaced mainly in that it changed
some of the special beneficiaries and
favorites. Some that had been lifted
up it cast down and some that had
been cast down it lifted up. 1t changed
northern favorites for southern ia
vorites without regard to any general
economic principle.
It was so unsatisfactory that the
Democratic president would not con-
meet his name with it, but left it to
become law without-his signature
while he inofficially reproached the
leading Democrats in congress with
infidelity both to principle and to SOL
emn party pledges.
Who will believe Congressman Will
liams when he ventures to promise
that such party will revise the tariff
in way that will be acceptable even
to a respectable minority of the
American people?
That the Democratic party will. If
it gets a chance, make three states out
of four territories in such way, if
pOSSlDlt, DIS 10 MAKE TWO Oh tne Jnre6
states Democratic we may readily be-
lieve In a matter of that kind the
Democratic factions can generally get
together.
But when Mr.. Williams ventures to
promise reasonable rate bill" on
behalf of his party he particularly in
vites attention to the present state of
that party. He will be in better po-
sition to make promises when the
Democrats in the house and the senate
come to some sort of agreement as to
what a reasonable rate bill is. AS
matters now stand he merely directs
attention to the fact that Mr.. Tillman
could not induce a single Democratic
member of the senate committee in
charge to sign his report on the rate
bill and that they have failed to get
together on any important question
involved in that bill.
The promises of Mr. Williams are