The Detroit times., 1910-11-09
CAMPAIGNS
CONGRESSIONAL
XIV-THE LANDSLIDE OF 1894
By FREDERIC HASKIM

In the speakers chair at Washing
ton, and the demand OF the oie-hur
cry constituents at home. Clevelanl
and Crisp let II be known that patror'
age and committee appotntment
would go only to those who support
ed the administration measure. O,nei|
wise the repeal never would havN
passed In that congress.
In the senate the presidents powe.
was not SO great and he was aole a
control but half of his party follow
ing The repeal bill passed the serI
ate by a vote OF 43 to 32. OF the 81
affirmative votes, 20 were cast by I'd
publicans and 20 by Democrats, Will
there we're 10 Democrats 10 Reput|
leans and three Populists in tho negf|
tiv.. Party lines were destroyed oil
solutfly. When the final vote wa
taken In the house on concurrence II
the slight amendment made by tn
senate, an attempt was made to oil
buster against the bill. This nlibuA
ter wac led by William Jennings LIN
an, who had the support OF 70 bend
Gratis and five Republicans, one q
them being Joseph G. Cannon.
"
the Democratic party was no longs
a compact organization. There weri
two Democratic parties. one ClevG
land, the other anti-Cleveland. Anq
as yet. nothing had been done u
ward redeeming the promises mad
in-the- campaign with reapectto tn
revision OF the tariff.
Chairman Wilson OF the Ways an.
Means Committee OF the house RI
ported his bill on Jan. s, 1894, seV
eral months after the end OF tn
panic for which the Wilson bill fro
quently is held responsible. Thl
party was torn asunder by the eli
yer question and there was small die
position TO get together on the tartf|
AS the bill passed the house on FEY
I, Il provided for substantial redue
ton OF tarifY duties, and included al
income tax feature. II went TO thI
senate, and there was amended %
yond all precedent, and so changeI
that Il bore small resemblance TO th|
original measure In spite OF th.
radical amendments by the senate
however, II represented a considel
able reduction from the schedules q
the Mckinley act. The great ngfs
came over the subject OF free raj
materials. and in the end the hous|
had to surrender to the senate Ser
ator German had much to do wit
the course of the bill in the senate
and as finally passed on Aug. IL. TN
measure was known as the Wilson
German bill.
Four years before, the McKlnle|
bill was passed only a month beforl
the election. The Wilson bill wa
passed less than two months befor'
the election. The Mckinley bill wa
repudiated at the polls before tn
country had an opportunity to test
The Wilson.Gorman bill met Q SIM
lar fate. The November elections Y
1894 resulted in 4 veritable Repubr
can landslide which wiped out tn
Democratic majority I'm both senaH
and house and gave the Republican,
control OF both bodies. In the net
house there were 24S Republican,
104 Democrats and seven Populists
Yet the tariff question entered by
little into the campaign OF 1894. TIL
! Wilson German bill was not fair r
demption OF the party platfor1
promises and Mr.. Cleveland refuse
to sign Il, permitting 1t to become
law without his signature, charactef
izing the action OF prominent Demo
cratic senators as party perhdy an
dishonor." But the country was NJ
T., longer interested in the tariff quef
ton. The money problem was III
chief issue. Throughout the Sout|
and West the mass OF the Democrat
were silver men. They were oppose,
10 the policy OF the administrator
and they were particularly wrathfiI
against those representatives an
senators who had bowed to the al
minlstration will in the hope Of n
ward at the pie counter. These Den
ocrats for the most part did not go q
far as to vote against their part
candidates, but they retired many OIL
members in the nominating conveI|
tons and primaries, and on the eleS
ton day hundreds of thousands d
Democrats went a-fishing" TIL
Democratic defeat was absolute, AMI
since March 3, 1895, the Democratic
party never has had control OF AMI
branch OF the federal government.
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