Democratic Sentinel, Volume 13, Number 2, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 1 February 1889 — The Republican Tariff Bill. [ARTICLE]

The Republican Tariff Bill.

It is a blessing for the country that the measure driven through the Senate, according to programme, and designed ostensibly to reduce taxation, will not become a law. It has scarcely a redeeming feature, and has as many iniquities as could be stuffed into it. It could not have passed even the Senate—which has a stomach that can stand almost anything monopolistic—if it were not for the knowledge of Republican Senators'that it could not and would not be assented to b r the House. There would be no more crestfallen men in the country than the Senators who fathered the bill if by any possibility the country were compelled to pass under its yoke, and the Republican party generally would be in a state of the deepest dejection. The policy in framing the bill was to put in everything the fat-yielding monopolists asked. On the wool schedule—which was artfully postponed until the last hours—there was an irreconc lable difference between the protectionist woolgrowers and the protectionist woolen manufacturers; and the only way the protectionist Senators could devise to “even up" things was to increase the tariff in many instances on both wool and woolens to an extent hitherto unheard of, the result being a schedule which gives satisfaction to no one, and which, if it went into effect, would do serious harm to the woolen industry of the United States, and be necessarily injurious to the wool-grower, although the tariff on raw wool is increased, for the prosperity of the woolen manufacturer is essential to that of the wool-grower. Possibly some Republican Senators are of the opinion that it was a good idea to load their bill with outrageous impositions, having in mind the possibility of a compromise bet ween Senate and House on the basis of splitting the difference between the Senate bill and Mills bill. If this were the idea they have overshot the mark by the monstrosity of their proposition, and have rendered it almost certain that nothing will be done at this session of Congress in the way of reducing taxation. If the bill had been framed with honesty of purpose—if, instead of making a special effort to throw cheap sops to every protected interest, the sentiment in the country for tariff reform had been in the least regarded—there might be ground for hoping that some adjustment of the tariff would be made before the final adjournment of the Fiftieth Congress; but the Republicans in the Senate have cut their way. We have charged that the measure is a dishonest one, and that Republicans themselves would not dare give it to the country if it represented accomplished tariff legislation. The truth of this will appear when the Republicans, who will have a majority in both houses of the next Congress, attempt to legislate on the tariff question on their sole responsibility. They will not dare to indorse the measure which the Republicans in the Senate have just passed.— Detroit Free Press.