The Savannah morning news., 1902-09-24

/
The Cincinnati speech of the Presl-
dent gave unalloyed satisfaction to the
| high protectionists. Before he started
/ on his Western tour there were per-
| sistent rumors, emanating apparently
| from New York, to the effect that
while in the West the President would
| say he favored certain reductions of
| the INDEPENDENTLY the tariff on
articles produced by trusts. These ru-
mors have now been set at rest, and
the high protectionists feel much cas-
Ter. What they fear is that if an at
tempt were made to revise only one
of the tariff schedules there would he
such demand for a revision of about
all of them that it would not be posi-
BILE to resist it.
There is no doubt that all of the prin-
cipal leaders of the Republican party
uphold the President in the position
which he has taken, namely, that the
evils of trusts cannot be destroyed or
lessened by reducing the tariff on
trust-made articles. The President said
in his Cincinnati speech that by that
method trusts could be injured and
that the small competitors of trusts
could be ruined, and, probably, would
be if it were adopted.
OF course, it is clear to b seen that
the Republican leaders are afraid to
undertake the revision of the tariff.
They prefer that the people shall suf-
fer from trust evils rather than that
trusts shall be injured. The trusts
practically own the Republican par
ty. They furnish the money with
which Republican campaigns are con-
Quoted. 1t is a safe prediction, there
fore, that there will be no revision of
the tariff as long as the present lead
ers of the Republican party are in
power.
OF course, there are a good many
Republicans who want the tariff re-
vised. Their wish in this respect is
voiced by some of the leaders of minor
Importance. In the states of the Mid
die West these minor leaders are ex-
pressing their views pretty freely, but
the principal leaders-the President,
Senators Hanna, Fairbanks, Foraker,
Aldrich, Speaker Henderson, Repre-
sentative Littlefield and others feel
they are strong enough to hold them
in check and nullify any impression
they may make.
Every one of the high protection or
gans is overlooking with praise for the
Presidents Cincinnati speech. They
seem to think they have won great
victory; that is, that the President
had practically determined to make
concessions to the tariff revisionists,
and that, through their efforts. he
suddenly decided to stand shoulder
to shoulder with the high protection
lists.
OF course, the stand which the Pres
ident has taken-the stand that the
Republican party will not undertake to
bring the trusts to terms by reduce
ing the tariff on trust-made articles
will help the Democratic party i'm
mensely, particularly in the West. 1t
would not be at all surprising if one of
the results of the Presidents Western
trip should be the gain by the Demo-
Gratis of several congressional districts.
There is no doubt that there is a very
strong sentiment in favor of tariff re-
vision in the West, and now that the
President has made it clear that there
is no hope for such revision If the
Republican party is kept in power,
thousands of Republicans, who believe
in tariff revision, will vote the Demo-
cratic ticket. This question of tariff
revision is the most troublesome one
the Republican party has had to deal
with for long time.