The age-herald., 1901-06-10
Republican Must be Responsl-
 ble for Its Consequences
OPINIONS MUCH DIVIDED
Failure of the Senate to Act on the House Measure Last Session Has Not Had a Good Effect
 on Politics.
BY ALBERT HALsTEAp.

Washington, June 9.-(Special.) )-The fact that the trust question must be met and solved in some way or other Is be- ginning to become more apparent to Re- publicans. Theirs is the responsibility, because they control the legislative and executive branches of the government. In the campaign of 1900 promises were made to deal with this question satisfactorily and the party must keep those promises If If is to retain public confidence. That the question is one that cannot be settled off hand Is fully realized by Republican leaders. Opinions differ decidedly as to the proper solution and some there are who maintain that trusts are more bene- ficial than harmful.
 The failure of the Senate at the latest session of Congress to act upon the dras- tic antitrust measure which was sent them by the House at the close of the previous session has not had a good eff feet upon political conditions. It has given a basis for charges of bad faith, though as a matter of fact there was really no time in the short session to take up this question. The bill as 1t passed lnc I1Oubc bnOTLiy DeIOTe LHc duJOuI ment before the campaign of 1900 was not entirely approved by those who voted for 1t. Most of its supporters feared to place themselves in oposition and consequently 1t had a large majority. Had many of those who supported 1t not known that the Senate would have to revise 1t they would have voted against it. But the Senate did not revise 1t. simply permit ting 1t to die in committee And most of particularly, though some of them have tried to make political capital out of the failure of a Republican Senate to take action upon 1t The truth Is that no mat ter what is said by the leaders of either party on the trust issue. each is rather afraid of 1t would prefer not to have to touch 1t.
 The movement for a revision of the tariff so as to take the benefits of protec- largely by great combination is one in- dication of the sentiment against trusts This sentiment Is especially strong in the Middle West and West, which sections are steadily becoming more potent politically. These people seem to demand that trust made articles shall not have the benefit of protection. It is certain that in the coming Congress the movement to abol- ish the tariff on most articles of steel mapAfacture, which was inaugurated by Representative Babcock, the chairman of the Republican campaign committee and a member of the ways and means com mittee in the late House, will attain con- siderable force and serve to embarrass the Republicans.
 The determination of the American Tariff League. as indicated in its official organ, to force the fighting by antagon- izing the representatives who advocate but it will also cause the advocates of tariff revision to work the more vigor- ously for the success of their schemes They will do this not only In self-de- fense, but to gain prestige from victory. Such fight will be unfortunate from a Republican party viewpoint, but it does not now appear as If 1t can be avoided.
 The attitude that the President may take on this question will doubtless have dn important lHlucnCc. f1e lS dpI 10 olS- courage the tariff revision programme while prepared to support or encourage any plan that seems to promise a satis- factory solution of the trust problem. MT Mckinley is as much of a protectionist as ever. He takes great pride in what he re- gards as the benefits that have come from that policy, attributing the present su- premacy of our industrial interests to pro- tection. But he realizes that the strict policy of protection should not be insisted upon.
 Hence he favors reciprocity, a policy that gives other nations lower duties on certain of their products that seek an en- trance into our market in return for like concessions to American products In other words such policy, while not se- riously interfering with protection to American industries. gives a wider mar ket to our products in foreign markets, and if carried out as designed should tend to lessen the irritation and jealousy that is now so noticeable abroad because of American trade expansion.