The Roanoke times. (Roanoke, Va.) 1897-1977, 1897-07-29
A KNOT OF
POLITICIANS,
AStute Leaders Gathering in Force
at Richmond.
CONGRESSMAN SWANSON TALKS
OF THE UBIQUITOUS TARIFF
BILL RECENTLY ENACTED BY
CONGRESS-EvERYTHING FOR
THE TRUSTS AND NOTHING FOR
THE ER-M'KINLEY'S
CURRENCY MESSAGE WAS
CHEAP POLITICS.

Richmond, July 2S.-(Special.) There
Is n great gathering of the clans in Rich
mond to-day.
Senator Thomas S Martin, of Able
marie, is here; Major John w. Daniel is
here; Claude Swanson lis here. Hon. II.
d. Flood, or Appomattox, is in the party
and there are others. All profess to be
in the city on personal business, but thoy
are talking politics.
Swanson, Martin and Secretary of the
Commonwealth La wless are spending
a.great deal Of the. time ut the. Westmore-
land Club, where they are engaged in
earnest conversation Nobody knows
what.they say. They form great trium-
virate-Claude, Tom and Joe. The
Roanoke Times correspondent talked pol
itics with Mr.. Swanson. Among things
he said:
"The Republican party has shown
more hesitancy than ever before in acting
Legislation or deciding upon policy. It
has only had decisive policy up to this
me on one thing and that Is to pay its
campaign debts to those who created
funds that elected Mckinley. These had
contributed such vast sums and their
opportunities for reimbursement was SO
great that the administration could not
wait for an ordinary session of Congress
to pay them, so the extraordinary ses-
sion was called, tart # bill prepared and
enacted into law, for the purpose of dis
charging the obligations of the Republic
Can party to those who contributed to its
success.
1.-The contributions to the Republican
campaign can be..measured by the bene-
fits bestowed in this ubiquitous tariff
bill. The sugar trust is one of the chief
benefic!aries of the Dingley bill and no
doubt was one of the largest contributors
to the campaign fund. The Dingley bill
is the most ubiquitous tariff law ever
passed 1t is about seven per cent. higher
than the Mckinley law, which had the
highest tariff rates that ever before OBJ
tanned. Except on sugar and wool the
bill will yield less revenue than the viii
son law which lit supersedes. On every
thing else except these, the rates are so
high and prohibitory that there will be
little or no imports lions.
The bill proposes to collect about
Sl2O, 900 600, over half ..the revenue from
customs duties. on the sugar and wooden
goods used by the people. There will be
large advance in the price of these and
thus the masses of the people, who are
each day becoming poorer, are called upon
to pay all the increased: revenue for the
government. All other articles of food
and clothing will be enhanced in price,
but the tariff on these being so high:as to
prohibit foreign importations. the in
creased price for these will go into the
pockets OF the trusts and com bines, to
whom this bill turns over the American
market free from competition.
Under the Wilson law our export of
manufactured goods had attained i'm
mRnGl nrnnQrf1nno
what they had ever been. This bill will
destroy this large and profitable foreign
trade, which held out the promise of
great prosperity to this country. This
tarif bill will be more condemned by the
people than was the Mckinley law.
The Republican party has no policy
upt the financial question. Mckinley
mas no convictions and no defined ideas
as to what is needed or what he will do.
lie Is very DESTROYS of Sinking the re-
sponsibility for financial legislation by
having commission appointed, with the
expectation that that commission would
unite In recommending action which he
would refer to Congress without approval
or ulsapproyal. He would have sent in
MS commission message earlier il he had
not been restrained by the mem hers of
MS own party, and thus shifted from his
o"h ohouiherS Gue nnanClai problem. but
1t was feal cd 1t would interfere with the
tariff and hence the party leaders re
strained him.
Sending it in at the time he did was
only for the purpose of cheap politics,
which will do him more harm Than good.
1t is source of deep regret to see ~ per.
son occupying such prominent position
indulging in such petty political schemes.
1.-The Republican party will not be able
to pass through the Senate any of its
financial measures. 1t will be compelled
to stand or fall upon the merits or de-
merits OF the Dingley bill. Its treaty for
the annexation of the Hawaiian islands
was preclpitated and is being pushed to
sidetrack the Cuban question and to
turn p"blic attention from the cause of
the Cuban patriots to tho annexation of
these petty islands.
''The adherents of NcKinley's admins
tration az soon as the patronage is distri-
buted viii! be torn into factions and
cursed with dissentions on public oues-
tions, as much as was Cleveland's ad.
ministration. Everything indicates that
the next house of representatives will he