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Betrayal Of Tariff Reform

Betrayal Of Tariff Reform image
Parent Issue
Day
4
Month
April
Year
1894
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Tlic group oí democratie senators whö have sueceeded in almost entirely destroying the free list oï the Wlleon bill, are the agents oi' special interests. Their motives are infinüely meaner than those of the men who pa.-sed the MeKiniey act. We eau respect au honest protectionist who is öuffering under the delusion that he can enrich twu men by taking raoney from the pocket of one and transferring it to the pocket of the Qther. But these democratie senators profess to disbelieye in this theory. and are simply Beeking the pecunlary ad.vantage of interesta in which they or their constltueats are concerne;!. They are trading in legislatlon lor the money there i-; in it. They are log-rolhng aïJd dickettng, not lor a principie, but ih:ii liey or their conBtituente niay l)e oi':' tiian the vest ui' ili' country. ü is charge I that som:' ■ sena irs ia re ased tlie inlormatioü whkb they obtained in seci-ecy from the sub-committee to speculate on Wall street ; that the sugar trust maintained a lobby in Washington, a lobby oïfering the tempt Qg bait of speedy fortune. The country lieard vhis accusation without attonishment. When men like Gorman. Pugh, Murphy, MoPherson, Smith and Brice openly declare that they are in tlie senate to guard the intereits of makers o:' collare and cuffs, oï rallroads that transport coal and iron ore, oï iiotters that hare reduced wages at every increase of their bounty, why should it surprise any one to be told Hhat senators buy and sell stocks on Wall street, affeeting the market by the knowledge they obtain of legislation on v.iiicli they were acting ? And this is especially true in view of the eonfession of Mr. McPherson, iliat he does deal In stocks j that are necessarlly affected by congressioual legislation, vvhile Mr. 11:11 comes to New York and consulta wit li the counsel and other agents of industi ies that are still demanding higher duties than tliose provided i'or in the bill before t!ie senate. The demoralization of the senate is so complete that Mr. White saw no reason wi'.y hc shouid not remain a member of the body after nis coniirmation as justice of the supreme court, for the purpose of protecting the Bugar-growlng lndustry, in Avhich he liad a direct pecuniary interest. There ivas never such Wholesale and overshadowing scandal in the United States senate. There was never such a general belief throughout the cunry that legislation is being sold to avored interests. The people who placed the democratie party in power x'cnuse they thought that it was In avor of lower tariff taxes, are being' etrayed. At the front of tliis conspiracy against his party and the ounti-y, is Senator Hlll. He is not accused of seeking pecuniary gatn ; doubtless he has taken the leadership of the democratie protectionists for the gratificación oí his political ambitions. He is now urging the party to declare that for twenty years t has been deceiving the country with promisea of reform that it did not mean to fulfil. He is intent on de'eating any tarifl bill. He i.s determined to make it wortli the white of all the protected Interests of tüe country to favor his candMacy for the presidency. With HiU in the White House and a protectlonist senate. the m(-n whose agents now in the senate chamber are blocking the way o! ieform would control the resources of the country, and the péople of the United States would be g;verned by ih uwiK'i-s oí mines and factories. If this consplracy Bücceeds, and it is strong and determined, the voten who have made democratie tilumphs po s'ble have been basêly deceived. Since 1876 thousands of voters, the young men from the colleges to whom the war is a tradition, and all who revolted against the economie doctrines of the republlcan party, have been seeking to galn their object, and w'.n a victory for reform throngh the demqcratic party. They have met witli disappointment after disappointment. Am! nów ii it ík shown that 110 relief can be obtsiinert for the taxridden c( nsumers through the democratie party beeause of the overweening and unscrupulous ambltion ,' i iie leader, and the greed of others, the loss of time and energy wil! le enormous. Ii the democratie adminIstration expires in ÏSJU with noiliing ace mplished for tariff rconii, 20 years of earnest effort has been lost, almost a generation of voters has been wasted, a most etupendous blunder has been committed. The men who have allied themselves with the democratie party in order that ood mis'lit come of it, have thrown away thelr opportunity, and alter Grover Cleveland retires they must begin, what events anay show should have ben begun twemy years before, the Blow procesa of building up a new party- a party not dominated by speculators and polltical trlckstere, but a party meaning what it says, and honest enough to keep its word in the hour of its victory.- Harper'a Weekly.

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Subjects
Old News
Ann Arbor Courier