The Tucson citizen., 1902-10-06
\ VENERABLE SCHEME.

President Roosevelt was enIlre4y
right when he declared in a recent ut
terance: What we really need in
this country is to treat the tariff as
business proposition, and not from the
standpoint of the temporary needs OF
any political party"
That is not only a present need, Dut
1t has been a pressing need ever since
tariffs were first established in this
country. 1t is need which has been
steadily and shamefully ignored by the
Republican party during its entire ex-
istence while in control Of our ma
tional government. The tariff has
not been treated as a business propo-
sitlon by those who now seek it's per-
petuation 1t is, and has been, the
chief agency maintained under our
federal system for the establishment Of
special privileges in favor of special
classes of American society.
Every effort which the Democratic
party has made, in or out of power, to
have tariff legislation treated as a busi-
ness proposition, has been effectively
defeated by the combination repre-
sented by the trusts and Republican
politicians.
The first essay made by the present
administration in the direction of
treating the tariff as business propo-
sition has resulted in the reputation
of President Roosevelt by his own
party in the legislative branch Of our
national government. Even the scheme
for the establishment of Cuban re-
ciprocity has been defeated by that
combination, and, according to the ad-
mission of the President and his imme-
diate adherents within the Republican
party, that defeat has been due to the
influence of tariff protected trusts.
1t is not as business proposition
but as partisan agency that the tariff
has been treated by those who choose
to call themselves it's friends. Under
it's operation vast commercial aggrega-
cations have been able to defy foreign
competition, to undersell foreign COM
petitors in their home markets and to
establish monopolies in the domestic
market for their products. They have
been able absolutely to control prices,
to limit production. to choke off COM
petition. The tariff may be business
proposition for those who are thus
protected" by it. 1t can hardly be
regarded as such by the producing
masses, who, through it's operation,
are prevented from access to free
market, practically in any of the COM
nodities to which it extends.
On Republican admissions, the propo-
sal of constitutional amendment for
the government of trusts is no more
than political subterfuge. What
else can the scheme for tariff COM
mission be called by those of the people
who are convinced of the necessity OF
an immediate revision of the tariff?
The commission scheme is an old one.
1t has been found an effective one by
the Republican party. 1t has been
advanced in every crisis which has
confronted the party whenever the
public demand for action has become
insistent.
President Roosevelt can hardly close
his eyes to the truth that no commits
sion which he, as the representative
of his party and it's leading candidate
for election to the Presidency: can
name, will be other than composed of
trust nominees. If the tariff is to be
revised in the interest of the trusts. no
better way for the accomplishment OF
that purpose can be adopted than the
one suggested by President Roosevelt
OF appointing a. tariff commission.
Va 49, ~