Let The Republicans Try

The prospecte for passing the tariff bill as it will be introduced by the ways and tneans committee are not good. Mr. Randall cannot consistently favor it, and he has announced that he cannot. Speaking of the committee's bill he said: " They hayen't revised the tariff at all. They have just taken a tomahawk and gone in to smash things. It isn't much of a tariff bill, but it is a first-class advertisement of the ignorance and incapacity of the majority side of the ways and means committee." This is pretty good, coming from a Democratie leader and of other Democratie leaders. Mr. Randall will present a bill as a substitute which will make large reductions of revenue in tobáceo and whisky, and which will aim to discover the lowest rate of tariff consistent with the protection of home industries, and to discover what articles can safely be transferred to the free list. Probably he will not consent to placing wool, lumber, salt, and copper on the free list suddenly. If the Democrats can carry the committee's bill in spite of Randall's opposition, they will go into the presidential campaign certainly with the credit of being able to do something. But if they do not carry the bill, they will enter the campaign without a policy and without any ability to carry out a policy even if by some chance they should get one. If they accept Randall'a bill and reduce the revenue, the Republicans will coöperate in house and senate, and will be entitled to as much credit as the Demócrata. It would not be according to the wishes of a majority of the Democrats, and would leave them in a ridiculous position. We don't see how free trade vs. protection could logically enter as an issue into the campaign if the Democrats are unable to carry a free trade measure. If the Republicana had charge of the tariff reduction, they would not show incompetency. ,.