Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-11-06
CONGRESSIONAL CAMPAIGNS
XIII-The Landslide Of 1890.
BY FREDERIC. HASKIN.

The republicans hailed the advent Of
the Harrison administration in 1889
with great JOY. for 1t gave them COM
plete control Of the executive and legis-
lative branches Of the government for
the first time since the middle Of
Grants second administration. They
were resolved to use their power so
| that democratic success in the future
would be made all but impossible They
succeeded only in bringing upon them
selves the most crushing defeat the re-
publican party yet has sustained.
| The tariff question had become the
chief issue talked about, but the money
question was really uppermost in the
minds Of the people. AS both parties
were divided in opinion on the money
| question, just as democrats and wings
had been divided on the question of
slavery extension, both parties "strad-
died. the currency question and made
| their fight on the tariff, but not without
! some trimming.
| The demand for revision Of the
| tariff had reached the Stage in Arthur 8
| administrat. on that Congress felt i'm
PEELED to do something. It Created a
the commission, because the high tar,ff
men believed it would. recommend still
higher duties, while the low tariff men
thought it would find reductions to be
imperatively necessary. The commission
made its report and. in the main, LIS
recommendations were adopted In the
| tariff Of 1883. The rates recommended
on wool. cotton, steel and iron were the
| chief matters Of contention. On the
whole the bill was a prOtectionist VIC
tory, and In 1884 Mr.. Cleveland and the
democratic party opposed the protection
list doctrine and won in the election.
-
But the efforts Of the democratic houses
in the first Cleveland administration to
revise the tariff
Republican Majority were checked
by the republic
III '"e 0eAaVe' an majority in
the Senate. Toward the close Of his term
Mr.. Cleveland sent a message to Con-
81 ess dealing solely with the tarin. In
| it he took advanced ground against the
protectionists. There was an immense
surplus in the Treasury and the Presi-
dent believed that a reduction OF duties
was demanded. The radical tariff Views
of Cleveland were not Endorsed by all
democrats, and this message caused a
revolt in the party. The President also
was at variance with many Of his parti-
| sans on the currency question. He was
defeated for reelection, and the re-
publicans, on a prOtectionist platform,
wee swept into complete power.
The first half of the Harrison admins
tration was remarkable for three things
the establishment OF the Reed rules in
the House Of Repre- sentatives, the attempt
to enact the force bill, seeking to make
the south republican by the use of fed
eral power and federal bayonets, and the
passage of the Mckinley tariff bill. The
| republican majority in the House was
not large, SO contests were instituted and
out and their places filled with repub-
licans. The democratic members of the
House sought to block the progress of
| legislation by systematic filibusters. but
they were circumvented by the revolu-
tionary Reed rules, which ever since have
governed the House. The force bill
passed the House, but was defeated in
the Senate after long filibuster by q
combination of democrats and western re-
publicans. Thus died the last serious ef-
southern states by federal interference
The Mckinley bill was a now departure
in tariff legislation. It was the first
| measure designed frankly to afford pro.
cles of consumption. as was avoxed. by
Mr.. Mckinley when he reported the bill
to the House April 16. 1890 The cam
paign of 1888 had been fought squareiy
Oh the tdIIIL Issue as pTcClp1t4teQ Dy MT.
Cleveland's tariff message of 1887. The
| republicans had won, and by their very
defense Of existing protection duties they
| were forced into demanding still higher
duties. The Mckinley bill was an up
| ward revision. In the debate the battle
| ragged most fiercely about the wool. the
sugar and the tin schedules. The wooden
duties were increased, a bounty was
granted to domestic sugar. and the de-
mands Of the tin-plate manufacturers
were met.
The bill passed the House May q, and
went to the Senate. After nearly a month
the Senate commit
Rates Reduced tee brought 1t out
>, With a large number
by the Senate. Of endm nts.
mostly in the nature Of reductions of
duty. Then began a long debate, which
ended when the bill passed the Senate
September 10. The conference committee
adjusted the differences between the two