The Columbus journal. (Columbus, Neb.) 1874-1911, 1909-05-05
DEMOCRATIC INCONSISTENCY,

UtIVIUCkhIIC
Thedemocratic party in the pational
legislature is just as strong on princi
Piles, just Is devoted to principle as il
ever was, when it is matter Of speech
making. The unprincipled republi.
cans of the sixty-frst congress have
had democratic principles. the princi
Piles of Jefferson and Bryan, waved in
their faces until they would be sick o.
them and ashamed of themselves fol
not having any if it were not for the
difference between making speeches
and casting votes. On the roll call IN
ounce of republican protection seems
to be worth . ton of jefferson OF
Organized principles to the represen'
tatives of many democratic districts
It is q question, indeed, whenever q
democratic congressman's name il
called on tariff vote whether princi'
Piles or protection will kick the beam
While the house is marking time and
waiting for the senate to send back the
Alderichized Payne>bill, the Congress.
sional Record is filing up with the
tariff speeches which democratic rep
resentatives are going to circulate in
their constituencies, and it is painful
to read these and then turn to the
tariff votes which have so far been
taken in the house to note how prin.
ciples yielded to protection when the
roll was called.
Democratic principles were glori-
ously celebrated by Representative
Choice B. Randall of Texas, in an
invective against the fruit of repub.
licanism. He said:
The promised delivery Of the people
from the Pharsohs OF, protectionism has
not even begun. The Payne bill is only
q refinement and q fragrant reinforce
m.nt of the enormities of the Dingley
act.
Probably, therefore, it was to give
the republican party a push in the
direction of its doom that Mr.. Randall
voted to put a protective duty on hides.
Nothing less than the death of pro-
tectionism was the text of an eloquent
speech by Representative Burgess Of
Texas. He said it again and again,
as for example:
I repeat with all emphasis possible
that We have reached q period at which
the doctrine of protectionisn is doomed
to death by the changed conditions,
which make it's continued application
more and more unjust and injurious. l
have said, and I repeat, that this bill
makes the clock of professionalism strike
IL; that this policy has reached it's
fruition, and that the process Of dissolu-
ton as certainly awaits it as ultimately
it must await every other development
policy.
Then Mr.. Burgess satisfied his dem.
ocratic principles and helped along the
dissolution of protection by voting for
protected hides.
Another Texan, the Hon. Alexander
Gregg, was inspired with mortuary
thoughts by the Payne bill. He said
in effect that be rose to bury it, not to
praise it.
The sadDess Of the republican heart at
this funeral is aggravated, because it
feels and knows that the party is bury.
ing it's idol Of protection through prohi-
bitive tariff rates.
1t must have been sympathy for the
republicans that impelled Mr.. Gregg
to vote for protective duty on hides
and against free lumber.
Representative Bell of Georgia, out
Of his democratic vocabulary, called
the Pave measure such hard names as
these:
This tariff bill is nothing short Of an
outrage. The witches whom Macbeth