Show TARIFF VIEWS The fact that some of the southern members of Congress are reported to desire protective features in the new tariff bill need not be construed as any evidence that the committee or the Congress will depart from the pledges of the partys platform A great principle is at stake and we cannot can-not believe that it will be sacrificed to subserve the interest or supposed interest in-terest of any individual or section We append a few comments of the press on this matter without endorsing endors-ing what is said personally about individuals in-dividuals It Is vitally important that the Democrats De-mocrats lose no lime in dealing with the tariff says the Boston Herald Ind To avoid this error they must first act upon principle and not be swerved from that line by local clamor And then they must act promptly < So far as Alabama is concerned says the Montgomery Advertiser Dem we can speak we hope with some authority for the Democracy here The Democracy of Alabama does not believe in protection and Chairman Wilson can be assured that the protectioncry ingJup from Birmingham Bir-mingham is not the cry of the Alabama Ala-bama Democracy The New Orleans Picayune Is disposed dis-posed to take the view that voting like jury duty and the payment of taxes should be made compulsory The greatest calamlty that can befalL a country where a free constitutional government prevails it says is for the better class of citizens to neglect the duty of voting and leave everything every-thing of a public nature to the professional profes-sional politicians Referring to the threats of Senator Pugh and Representative Bland to fight the tariff reform bill In Congress if iron ore coal and wool are placed on the free list the Indianapolis News Ind says Neither of these gentlemen gentle-men ought to have the least influence with his party Both did their best to ruin it and came very near succeeding succeed-ing And now when they come to the front with threats to beat a measure to which the Democratic party is pledged unless it protects industries in which they are interested it seems to us that they should be treated with very scant consideration The Seattle Telegraph Dem says We hope that when Congress meets in December no time will be lost indisposing in-disposing of the tariff so that busi ness men may know what to expect and the country may have as long a trial as possible of the revised tariff before being called upon to express their opinion in regard to it at the I polls We confess to being unable to seethe see-the force of the Republican clamor that the Democrats should let the tariff alone says the New Bedford Mercury Rep The Democratic contention is now as it has been that it is for the interest of the people of the country that the tariff should be reduced Now they have a chance to prove it and if they do not accept this chance they ought never to have another an-other Concerning the cause of the defections defec-tions in the late election the New York Post remarks In our opinion the most plausible explanation of all is that the people were angry with the Democrats not because they thought the Democrats were going to reform the tariff but because they had not done it already It is upon the face of it absurd to maintain that after such a campaign as that which closed a year ago the people did not know that tariff reform was the Issue There was little else talked or written about and that was talked and written about a great deal The people were thoroughly instructed instruct-ed and they deliberately declared that they wanted the tariff reformed The Buffalo Courier Dem says The new tariff bill should be brought before the House of Representatives early next month It should be taken up with reasonable promptness and be pushed to a passage |