Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-07-10
The Tnriff Revision Fight.

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The Tariff Revision Fight.
That tariff revision will be the rock
upon which the Republican party will
split in the next Congress finds strong
proof in a review of the political situa-
ton by the Washington correspondent
of The Philadelphia Ledger, who Is
known to be one Of the best political
prophets in the country.
The fact that the present tariff bill
suits only the men behind the trusts
is plain enough, and that substantial
revision all along the line Is demand
ed not only by the voters at large, but
by the general independent business
community. is equally plain. The Re-
publican party wants to appear as the
patron of the latter class, but is bound
hand and foot to obey the behests of
the former. Hence this two-horsed
straddle Is proving uncomfortable and
is likely to result in n catastrophe.
The proposition for revision came
from Mr.. Bnbcock, a Republican men,
Der of the Ways and Means Com
mittee, to whom Speaker Henderson Is
under special obligation, which will
force his reappointment on the commit
tee. The defeat of Henderson for the
Speakership would solve the problem of
getting rid of Babcock, but he is too
strongly intrenched for that. Hender-
son will stick to the Speakership; Bah
will %nSv hi nil In commit
tee, and the Western Republicans will
back him up in the demand for re-
vision of the tariff bill, SO MS to get
leverage under the trusts. The only
hope left the latter is to SO emasculate
the Babcock proposition as to take oil
value out of 1t, and this is what they
are now preparing to do.
To show the alliance between the
trusts and the Republican agencies of
propagandism 1t is only necessary to
point out the interference of the Home
Market Club, of Boston. Through its
representative that club enters upon a
vigorous denial that the present tariff
makes the trusts possible, and makes
the astonishing declaration that it real
~ promotes competition. THE as
SUMPTION" says this agent
,-"of the Babcock bill Is that the steel
trust, so-called, is not only an evil, but
result Of the tariff. Now, everybody
recognizes that it is in no other sense
the result of protection than that the
industries which it carries OH may have
been established in this country under
the inducement of protective tariff.
But there are many other concerns en-
gagged in these industries besides the
United States Steel Company. They
are Independent and competing. One
of the objects of protection is to de-
velop competition among home indus
tries. Now. If protection is withdrawn,
the smaller and independent companies
will be more injured by it than the
combination. This is so plain propo-
sftion that it does not need to be for
titled by fact or argument. Therefore.
Mr.. Babcock's bill would defeat one
of its purposes, and have yet to find
the man who can see how 1t would
protect consumers of iron and steel
goods in this country or compel those
of any other countries to pay any more
than they pay now. A protective tar.
if should be equitable and national
extending alike to all industries that
are subject to foreign competition. To
amend 1t piecemeaf is to introduce In
equality and injustice. There is abso-
lutely nothing to defend OF Justify II