Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1902-10-25
SATURDAY EVENING. OCT. %, 1902

THE President is now busily engaged
in preparing his annual message to be
submitted to Congress on the first OF
December next He will discuss
number of questions bearing upon his
future and upon the future of his party,
foremost in importance of which are the
tariff and trustquestions. Concerning his
message the following has been given
out
eThe President main recommended
ton as to dealing with the tariff will be
for the establishment of permanent
tariff commission, as far as possible
non-partisan, unprejudiced body, that
will at once take up consideration OF all
facts connected with the tariff with a
view to wise recommendation to Congress
tor changes here and there. The Presi-
dent will not take a radical attitude as to
the adjustment of the tariff. He will
favor tariff changes, but will say that
Congress, without the assistance of
trained body like a commission, cannot
take up with wisdom and justice the
changes that are needed and must be
made. The President will point out that
Congress is surrounded in the readjust-
ment Of tariff schedules by influences for
or against such changes that greatly
hinder that untrammeled consideration
which Congress itself would prefer to
give. BY receiving facts and figures
from an expert body, however, Congress
would be in position to act without a
number of long hearings and the usual
hurry burly accompanying the intention
to make changes. On the trust question
the President will follow the line of his
recent speeches to a considerable extent.
He will recommend that safe and judi
cious legislation be attempted by Con-
gress for the regulation and control OF
trusts. but will Likewise take the position
that pending the enactment OF laws that
NAV be of assistance consideration may
be gone into of the question Of constl-
tutional amendment giving thorough
federal control OF these mighty institu-
tons.
This means that the President would
take the whole tariff matter from the
hands of the Congress, elected by and re-
sponsible to the people and which is the
only body under the constitution that
can levy, raise or lower taxes, and place
it in the hands of commission probably
appointed by partizan President and
responsible to no one save to the appoint
ing power and which, of course, would do
the bidding of that power. This is almost
a revolutionary proposition and if CT
ried out wOulG deprive the people lof
their right to choose how and to what
extent they should be taxed.
As to the plan for change in the
constitution so as to give federal control
of trusts, why it is prepOsterous. Mr..
Roosevelt's own Attorney General, Mr..
Knox, says change III the constitution lor
this purpose is entirely unnecessary
and everyone knows that it would re-
quire years for such an amendment to be
adopted even if the necessary number
of States favored such proposition. No,
Congress has all the power necessary to
revise the tariff and to regulate the trusts
and if some of the measures introduced
into Congress at the last session by demo-
Gratis had not been pigeonhOled by the
republican committees the people by this
time would have been relieved of some
of the burdens imposed by the twin
evils.