The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1901-05-01
His Tariff Bill Is Favored III
the West.
APPROVAL IS GENERAL
Wisconsin Member VIII Urge His
Bill at the Next Session.
HE COUNTS ON POPULAR SUPPORT
Agitation May Help His Ambition TO
Represent His state in
the Senate.

From The Journal BWreOW. ROO"s 40 Post
Building, Washington
Washington. May Representative
Babcoek of Wisconsin does not hesitate to
say that in his opinion the tariff will be
the leading issue in the next presidential
eampaign, and he maintains that in taking
the stand he does in favor Of the removal
of the tariff on steel and other trust arti-
cles, he is doing the republican organiza-
tion an important service.
The arguments advanced by Mr.. Bah
cock to prove that his position is logical
and a long step in advance of present-day
ideas need not be repeated here, for they
are by this time familiar to all news
paper readers. The significant thing at
this time is the rather startling and very
important fact that in the western states,
beginning with Indiana and Ohio and con-
tinuing west from there to the foot Of the
Rocky mountains, republican sentiment in
favor Of the Babcock idea is rapidly gain
ing ground.
Wherever the BabcOck bill has been dis
cussed IN the public prints the discussion
has been in its favor, whether the articles
were written by republicans or by demo-
Gratis. Wherever the politicians have con-
gregated Informally inside the district re-
ferred to, Mr. Babcock has been strongly
indorsed Influential republican newspa-
pers in Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, Wis
consin, Minnesota, the Dakotas. Kansas
and Nebraska, to say nothing of demo-
cratic newspapers in the Atlantic coast
states of the south, have discussed the
Babcock bill in most serious way, and
not one thus far has condemned it. The
large majority has indorsed it unquali-
fedly.
Republicans from the states named who
have been called to Washington this
spring on public or private business, when
asked about the Babcock bill, have uni
formly replied that it seemed to be
favorite IN their several localities. Mr..
Babcock himself has received many hun
dreds of clippings from republican news
papers in all parts Of the country, nine
put Of every ten of which are friendly in
tone. and in addition to this he has re-
ceived hundreds of letters, many of them
from men of whom he never had heard
before, indorsing his position and wishing
him success. Many Of the writer's of these
letters are politicians, and in their sew
eral homes are officially connected with
the republican organization in some way
DR. other Some OF the writer's are dis
tinguished publicists, most of whom are
from the east, who tell him that in their
judgment the time is now at hand when
he republican party, if it is to remain in
control of the government, must adopt the
Babcock idea. In no other way" says
Dne of these letters, "can the principle
Of protection be maintained
What the outcome will be nobody can
foreteH at this time. Mr. Babcock will
introduce his bill in congress next De-
cember and it will be referred to the
ways and means committee. AS at pres
ent made up-and there will be few if any
changes in its personnel next winter
the committee is overwhelmingly opposed
to the principle which the Babcock bill
seeks to establish. Last spring, when
the bill was introduced, every republican
member Of the committee save Mr.. Bah
cock strongly opposed it. Not only that,
but these members grew faeetious and
cynical when they referred to it.
But that really means little. If, as
there is now a strong probability, senti-
ment in favor Of the bill should strongly
develop in the west which for two presi-
dental campaigns has been the debatable
ground of the country, and bids fair to
continue so for years. congress will be
compelled to give it respectful hearing,
and the ways and means committee will
have to report it to the house as a pre-
liminary to a long and earnest debate.
Mr.. Babcock is counting strongly on
popular support from the west, and he
has his friends at work in several of the
states preparing for an opening next year.
He thinks that the opening will come,
and that in some of the strong republican
states, such as Iowa, Minnesota and the
Dakotas, his own state of Wisconsin, and
perhaps in Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, the
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