The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1902-09-19

| Eleventh district that attention has
been attracted 10 il from all over the
country. Mr.. Foss Is constantly re-
ceiving letters from all parts OF the
l country, especially from the Middle
West, complimentlng him upon his
course IL coming out boldly upon he
1 platform, in contrast to the course Of
| the other republican candidates The
| support which Mr.. Foss has secured for
| his candidacy Is remarkable, consider
ing that the strength of the entire re-
| publican machine is in favor of Melvin
o. Adams. the opposition candidate"
Edwin G. Preston. secretary OF the
| Boston chamber Of whose
| position gives him a most favorable
opportunity TO become acquainted with
the sentiments OF the business men
| and merchants OF that city, says many
| OF them from a purely business view
| point want a revision of the tariff all
| along the line" He says the feeling
is growing that circumstances have
| changed to sue an extent since the
| passage of the Dingley bill that a gen.
| eral revision must be had.
Now turn to the northwest and take
up the most significant of recent po-|
htical events-the declination Of re-
nomination to congress by Speaker
| Henderson, OF Iowa, and the reason he
| assigns. Mr.. Henderson has represented
| the Third district of Iowa in the house
| OF representatives for twenty-twoI
| years. His ability and staunch re-
| p~ublicanism secured for him the speak
ership of the present congress. He
now declines the twelfth consecutive
| nomination by his party. And wheth-
| er you give him credit for sincerity in
| the reason assigned for declining. or
| attribute it to less creditable motives,
| such as fear of defeat of the
| change of views Of his constituents,
| still it is a strong indication Of a great
| revolution of sentiment of the people
| on the subject of high tariff. Mr.. Hen
| derson writes the notification commit
| tee Of the convention which nominated
| him that he delayed his reply in order
to ascertain the facts as to this mat
| ter, and he says that after a careful
| study as to the feeling in the district
| and state he believes there is a grow
l ing sentiment among republicans. with
| which he cannot agree, that trusts
''can be curbed or the people bene-
| fitted by free trade in whole or in
| part; and for this reason he feels that
| he should not accept the nomination
| from them.
Speaker Henderson il this letter,
| you notice, states that after study of
the situation he finds this change of
| sentiment existing and increasing, not
! only in his district, but throughout
| the state of Iowa. Still the republican
| l~eaders-those under the influence %
| the trusts-tell us the people do not
| want a reduction of those tariff duties
they claim were imposed for the bene-
| fit of the latter. The people do want
| relief. Their eyes have been opened
to the evils they suffer through the OPP
~portunities the tariff gives the trusts
to rob them and grind them down and
they are going to have it. If the re-
publicans do not give them this relief
they will tura to the democratic party.
The tide has already turned that way
by reason of despair of securing re-
| dress through the republicans. When
| President Roosevelt tells them hat
the only way to check the d~evouringI
greed of the bad trusts is to amend
the constitution of the United States,
he holds out to them lo hope, for in
the same breath he tells them that
this will be a matter of great difficulty
and will take much time. He is per-.
fectly correct in the latter statement;
for he, as we'll as every one else,
knows that the trusts would bitterly
antagonize such an amendment before
congress and before the legislature of
every state in the union AS to the
time, if congress were at the APP
preaching session to submit such
amendment to the states, and if the
| necessary number should ratify it, it
would be four or five years before con-
| gress could declare the ~mendmen to
be in effect. This constitutional amend
| ment plan of the president did not fool
anybody or check the popular demand
for revision of the tariff as the only
! means of controlling the trusts.
If reports from Europe are true the