Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1902-09-04
NO TARIFF SMASHING
UNANIMOUS CONCLUSION OF RE-
PUBLICAN LEADERS.

The Business Men of the Country
VIII welcome This Decision of the
President and His Advisers as
sound, Sensible and Patriotic.
No tariff legislation at this session of
congress and no tariff revision now at
all is the unanimous conclusion of
conference of Republican congressional
leaders at the White House, whittier
they had been summoned by President
Roosevelt.
REPRESENTATIVE Babcock of Wiscon-
sin, author of the bill reducing the du-
ties on certain iron and steel products,
was present at this conference ana
Joined in it's verdict. If the Massachu-
setts legislature had passed that reso'
luton demanding the passage OF the
Babcock BILL how absurd would now
be the Massachusetts attitude! The
Republican majority of the common
wealth has new cause for thankfulness
that the common sense of the Massa-
chusetts house balked this programme
The decision of President Roosevelt
and his advisers that the tariff shall
not be changed rallies all the solid, con,
servative business forces of the coun-
try to the support of the national adj
ministration. Merchants, manufacture
ers, bankers, are satisfied with things
as they are. They have no yearning to
embark with new experiments. They
know by the experience of 1S92-9I
the terrible cost of n political campaign
against the American system of pro
lection, to which the trade and indus
try of the United States have adjusted
themselves as they have to the gold
standard of currency
Every newspaper that now advo'
Gates a smashing of the tariff, every
politician that insists on the reopening
of this difficult and dangerous question,
makes itself or himself at once the foe
of every prosperous business man in
the community. The Democracy in
congress has assailed the army. 1t has
found that that did not ''pay" and is
now abandoning it, but with that per
feet genius for laundering which has
strong American party ever since it
identified itself with the cause of slav-
cry sixty years ago the Democracy,
through its infatuated Washington
leadership, turns from attacking the
honor of the American soldier to at
tacking the solvency of the American
business man.
A campaign for free trade this year
will complete the mischief which the
free silver folly began and drive the
last merchants, manufacturers and
bankers out of the Democratic organi-
zation. There are few, very few, of
these men now in the northern states
who call themselves Democrats or
even infrequently vote the Democratic
ticket. In the south, where the habit
of years is stronger, many men of bust
ness still cling to the Democracy but
in personal conviction they are not free
silver men; they are gold men. They
are not free traders; they are protec,
tionists.
In other words, they are all, save In
mere habit, Republicans. They want
no tariff smashing. They are prosper
Gus; they desire to remain so. An anti,
tariff campaign by the Democracy will
drive these men over to the Republic
an party by the hundreds and thou
sands, and it will do this all the more
readily and more surely because
thanks to the grandfather clause and
other ingenious devices of southern
Democratic politicians, all fear of me
gro domination" in the southern states
has now become harmless bugaboo.-
Boston Journal