The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1906-05-18
PROMISES or DEMOCRATS.
The Party Will, II It Gets n Chance
Do Some Wonderful Things
-Yesp

It Is the privilege of a minority par.
ty to tell Of the great and good things
1t will do II the people will but give
II O. 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 oil
representatives at Washington, was
acting within his rights when he took
two hours to tell hat Of what the
Democratic party would do on the
condition stated and reserved the 9th.
err 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 IA
vor a representative of the Democratic
party woulG be more likely to succeed
IL he should exercise moderation in
view of the record that party has
made for itself and of certain notori.
ous facts regarding the present in
gradients of the broth in it's kettle
and caldron. 1t Is hardly wise to cali
attention to these things by confident.
ly promising what everybody knows
the party car 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 n 10.
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 w%s sat
isfactory to no one.
The party came into power on the
| 4th of March, 1893. An extra session
Of the Democratic congress vas held
the following summer, but the tariff
was not touched. 1t was not until the
summer of 1894 that a tariff bill wa
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.
1t was so unsatisfactory that the
Democratic president would not on
meet his name with it, but left it tc
become a law without his signature
while he inoficially ~reproached the
leading Democrats in congress with
~infdelity both to principle and to SOL
emn party pledges.
Who will believe Congressman VIII.
liams when he ventures to promise
that such a party will revise the tariff
in a way that will be acceptable ever
to a respectable minority of the
American people?
That the Democratic party will, II
1t gets a chance, make three states out
of four territories in such a way, il
possible, as to make two of the three
states Democratic we may readily be.
lieve. In a matter Of that kind the
Democratic factions can generally gel
together.
But when Mr.. Williams ventures tc
promise a reasonable rate bill' or
behalf of his party he particularly in.
vites attention to the present state OIL
that party. He will be in a better pc.
sition to make promises when the
Democrats in the house and the senate
come to some sort of agreement as Il
what a reasonable rate bill is. A!
matters now stand he merely direct:
attention to the fact that Mr.. Tillmar
could not induce a single Democratic
member of the senate committee II
charge to sign his report IN the rat,
bill and that they have failed to ge
together on any important question
involved in that bill.
The promises of Mr.. Williams arr