Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1902-09-05
REVISION OF THE TARIFF.
A Question That Is Causing the Re-
pubIicans No End Of worry
and Trouble.

The question of a revision of the
tariff is causing considerable anxiety
to the republican leaders. The speech
of Representative Grosvenor at the
convention which nominated him
was on both sides of the question.
He favored revision of the tariff
when the proper time" came, and,
of course, only Grosvenor and the
republican party were capable of I'M
dertaking the revising. The Wash
ington correspondent of the Boston
Transcript, sturdy republican news
paper, says of this:
Mr.. Grosvenor did not say when the
proper time for tariff revision would ar
rive, but it is well known that he fully
agrees with the other republican leaders
of the house that there probably will be
no revision in which the house which is to
be elected this fail will share. When,
therefore, republican politicians commend
Mr.. GrosVenor's remarks, they mean that
the men who rule the republican party
have not the slightest intention that the
tariff shall be disturbed until they are
compelled to revise it.
Nobody here regards with any serious
ness the recent declarations of Senator
Cullom, Representative Tawney and other
republican members of congress N favor
Of tariff reform. There are others who say
the republican tariff reformers'' 90 not
wish to be taken seriously by anybody
outside their constituencies. They are
tariff reformerS of the Babcock variety,
but whether they are sincere or not, there
IS not the slightest reason apparent to
washington politicians for expecting that
any considerable movement for tariff re-
vision will be developed in the republican
party next winter. Secretary Shaw, for
example, thinks the republicans of Iowa
should not have made the declara lions
which embarraSS the party a large. He
says they knew quite as well as he that
the tariff is going to stay put for several
years to come, unless the republicans get
tremendously shaken up in the fall cleo
tions, and in that way scared into making
some revisioCs.'
The tariff protected trusts evil
IDENTIFY have too firm a grasp on the
leaders of the republican party to
permit any of the tariff subsidy they
are now receiving to be disturbed.
This is the attitude of the leaders.
But what of the people who pay the
tax? Will they vote for members of
congress or for members of the
| legislatures, who will select one
third of the members of the United
| States senate at the election this
| fall, who will continue the tariff tax on
| trust productions.
The opportunity to turn down the
| politicians, who secretly, if not open
| trusts is in the hands of the voters.
They can enforce the HannaGros-
venor plan of letting well enough
alone or they can vote for those
| who are pledged to lift the tariff
burden of double prices on many of
| the necessaries of life which the
| letting well enough alone" pro-
gramme compels them to pay. In
| 4 r.
| remember that the trusts are now
| selling their productions in this
country for nearly double what they
| sell them for in other countries.
New Buster of Trusts.
Senator Hanna having failed with
| his Civic Federation annex to adjust
| the coal strike and President Roose-
| velt having pocketed the report of
| Commissioner of Labor Wright. which
was heralded giving the inside facts
| about the coal trust, so that it would
| seem that the president is not anxious
| to put any more labor on the over
worked attorney general the coal
strike is still in full blast. But now
| comes Brother Quay, who is stated to
| be very pleased to undertake what
| Hanna and Roosevelt have failed to ac-
| complish. and being such noted trust
hunter he may accomplish it. Brother
| Quay, like his enemy Hanna, hunts the
| trusts to their lair to fry the fat out
of them, and it may be cheaper for the
coal trusts to stop the strike than to
put up for the Pennsylvania cam
| paign fund. 1t is about time for Broth
| er Hanna to make another effort or
Quay will be looked to as the adjuster
| of the troubles between labor and cap
| ital.