The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-12-14
chance after the next presidential cleo
ian

chance after the next presidential cleo
ton.
| am informed by Republican Senator
who held close and confidential relations
with the late President that this was
President McKinley's purpose. He real
lied the danger to protection. He fore
saw the gathering of the storm. To this
friend, who read the Buffalo speech be-
fore it was delivered and who was nat
urally somewhat surprised to find the
apostle OF protection advocating tarlH re-
vision by means of reciprocity. Mr.
Mckinley explained his plans. He had
not changed in the least his opinion of
the value and Importance of protection.
But he did want to dig sluice way
through which some of the pressure could
escape.
That was the purpose of the Buffalo
speech, and if the President had lived,
wholly different situation would be now
seen here at the National Capital. With
out doubt he would have been strong
enough, from the peculiarly advantage
Gus position which he occupied, expert
enced, elected to his second term, self
confident and not compelled to look to
his own future, to lead Congress along
the path which he had marked out. The
high tariff leaders, however, took adj
vantage of the new situation, of Presi
dent Roosevelt's natural wish not to
have trouble in the early days of his adj
ministration. and secured his reluctant
and half-hearted cooperation.
Still the agitation goes on, and it is
making converts. AS yet there is no rea-
son for saying that Aldrich and his fell
low protectionists have been sufficiently
impressed to Induce a change of attitude
on their part, but some of them are
worried. They are not as well satisfied
as they were that they have chosen
wisely.
President Roosevelt is in earnest about
Cuba He is doing everything in his
power to secure a reduction of duties fo-
the benefit of the island. So far Mr.
OXnard, the representative of the beet
sugar interests, who is here as spokes-
man for the high rrotectionists, refuses
to listen to any compromise. He is not
willing to give Cuba a reduction of %
per cent, nor even OF 20 per cent. Some
Senators and representatives, who occu-
Ply middle ground on this question and
who have had opportunity to talk with
the President and General Wood about
Cubas necessities, are a little disguised
with what they call this greedy spirit on
the part of the opponents of reduction.
A plan has been Matched to force a
compromise. 1t happens through the de-
cision of the Supreme court, that the
Philippine tariff is up for action as we'll
as the Cuban. 1t is the Philippines that
the protectionists care most about. 1t
was the Philippines they were aiming at
when they sought 20 prevent free trade
with Porto Rico. The plan, which finds
favor at the White House, is TO threaten
that unless they consent to compromise
for Cuba nothing shall be done about i'm
posing a tax on goods coming from the
Philippines.
Ingenious as the scheme is it will not
work Everyone knows that irrespective
of what is done about Cuba, Philippine
tariff is an absolute necessity. Unless
the influences of the President shall
prove strong enough to bring about a
change of view on the part of the Repub-
lican leaders in Congress, Cuba will have
10 20 WIlUOul Lclp III Saving oSlL II Olli
bankruptcy.
One of the Cuban delegates who was
here last week laboling with public men
in behalf of tariff concessions, had a
rather impressive way of expressing the
anxiety of his people. When asked if
the United States had not already done
great things for Cuba, given the island
clean and efficient government started
public improvements, suppressed yellow
fever and so on, the delegate replied:
Eyes, you have done all that and more.
We have good government. We are
not cheated now. The head is all right.
But it is the stomach that must be
taken care Oft is the stomach that
needs your care and attention now
And, suiting his actions to his wordss,
the energetic delegate rubbed his rather
capacious stomach, as if he felt q pain
there. The Cuban and his stomach are
already we'll known at the National
Capital.