Show SILBIUIAX OX THE TARIFF There is no slyer old fox In American Amer-ican politics than Senator John Sherman Sher-man Joay Bagstock could take lessons les-sons from him to his great t advantage The United Presses association sought the opinions of prominecft senators sen-ators and representatives on the probability prob-ability of tariff legislation In the next congress Senator Sherman answered an-swered as follows In the present condition of affairs I do not care to express my opinion as to tdi proper < tariff and financial legCs latlon of this or the next congress In his speech at the dinner of the Union League club of Brooklyn last Wednesday night Senator Sherman on tkts very subject of tariff said I want to postpone any revision of the tariff laws except to supply the wants of the government to the time when kindly and heartily we may look over tie question of a protective tariff The true way is to refer the whale matter 10 a commission of distin gulsrfcd and eminent rotin nuthouc bias or prejudice ami let them frame a tariff bill and let 1st be passed There is no Inconsistency between the two statecnerts though his later one shows a disposition to hedge on what he said tnt the Union League club dinner And this hedging is where the senator is always so sly He does it so nicely that the people do net discover what he is doing until long ater he las done it There is much merit in the suggestion sug-gestion to refer the puestion of a tariff if it is to be tinkered with to a commission com-mission of distinguished and eminent men without bias or prejudice It is to be presumed that Senator Sherman would have this coonnnisston made up of distinguished and eminent men ol botlh parties But then he is so sly I that no one can say that such is his idea or nor That would be the proper way Still a partisan commission composed as the nator suggests is much mere preferable than turning the tariff over to those who desire to place their hands in the public purse and taking what prcasction they think their particular industry needs It is to be expected that when the beneficiaries of protection are invited in-vited to make known how much they want of the peoples money they ndl not be niggardly in their requests They have never been known 1o be A tariff commission < would do away with this rusS to Washington to get the biggest piece of pie possible when favors were being 0 passed round If such a commission were appointed appoint-ed and did Its work acceptably to all paitles it is almost certain that congress con-gress would not pass any measure S prepared by it |