The Mccook Tribune

THE TARIFF WILL PASS.

Unless the most experienced observers in Washington are greatly deceived, says an exchange, the Republicans need have no anxiety about the passing of the Republican tariff bill by the Senate, even if the Republican Senators are not a majority. There will be no serious opposition to such a tariff bill as the Ways and Means Committee is framing.

Democratic Senators may offer some opposition, but it will be perfunctory. This is because there are not a dozen free traders in Congress such as there used to be, and possibly fewer advocates of high tariff. The free trader is now confined to the editorial room or the recitation rooms of a few colleges. The experience of the past few years has modified the free trader who has connection with business.

As for the people generally, they attribute the stagnation in business to the present tariff. Democrats in Congress who were free traders are now in favor of a revenue tariff which will give incidental protection. The new Dingley tariff bill will be a moderate measure, say those who know about it. It will give protection to home industries, but such protection as is compatible with an increase of revenue.

To such a measure there will be no serious opposition. Even the silverites, who a year ago threatened to antagonize any revenue measure which does not include the free coinage of fifty-cent dollars, have wisely come to the conclusion that such a line of action would be unwise, and would hurt their cause. Democrats, who are now chiefly from the South, see the folly of opposing a tariff which will insure ample revenue at a time when the deficit is at the rate of sixty or seventy million dollars a year.