Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1901-07-09
The Tariff Revision yighe.

The Tariff Revision Eighr.
That tariff revision viii be the rock
upon which the Republican party VIII
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 the 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 a catastrophe.
The proposition for revision came
from Mr.. Babcock, Republican mem
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
! cock will retain his place. in commit
tee, and the Western Republicans III l
back him up ~ the demand for a re-
vision Of the tariff bill, SO as to get
leverage under th2 trusts: The only
hope left the latter is to so enlasculate
the Babcock proposition as to take all
value out of it, and this is what they
are now preparing to do. -~~'sA~
To show the alliance between the
trusts and the Republican agencies OF
propagandism it 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 makef
the astonishing declaration that it real
| ~ pIOuOJeS competition. hG koo-
sumption" says this agent
-"of the Babcock bin is that the steel
trust, so-called, is not only an evil, but
a 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 on may have
been established in this country under
| the inducement of a 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 a propo-
! sition that it does not need to be for
tilted 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 it would
! protect consumers of iron and steel
| SOOOS III ILLS GUILTY. VI COluDGI IuOS6
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 it piecemeal is to introduce in.
equality and injustice. There is abso-
lutely nothing to defend or justify ii
from a protectionist or a Republican
| point of view"
From this it is plain that the Repub-
lican party, handicapped by the obliga-
ton which it is under to the trusts
VIII be unable to give that relief to
which the people are entitled, and that
the Democrats must take it into the
next campaign. where alone it can be
discussed upon it's merits. Speaker
Henderson and Mr.. Babcock can hold
their places in Congress and be thorns
in the sides of the elephant, but theif
hopes will be finally crushed out. until
the people shall have a chance to talk
the matter over for themselves-At Allan
| ia Constitution.