New-York tribune., 1903-04-07
ALL "STANDING PAT.'
. TARIFF REVISION.
The President Sounding the Keynote
for the Neat Campaign.

Washington, April (SpeciaD.-'Do you re-
alize what has happened during the first week
of President Roosevelts trip into the Vest?
asked member of the Cabinet to-day We'll,
just combine these things and see what sig
nifcant summary you have:
The President himself has made two speeches
against tariff revision. He went direct to the
territory where the Iowa idea is supposed to
prevail In both speeches he struck straight out
from the shoulder and he rang the bell twice
Secretary Root sounded the initial note in
Boston. His text was No tariff revision and
he also rang the bell.
Secretary Shaw built a speech the same
text, which he delivered with telling effect in
Peoria, Ill. The bell was rung again.
Senator Allison. of Iowa, permitted himself
to be interviewed in Chicago. He, too, said No
tariff revision.
Mr.. Bryan in speech in Des Moines well
coined Governor Cummins to the ranks of
Democracy. and indorsed his ideas as proper
Democratic doctrine.
PRESIDENTS ATTITUDE INDORSED.
Now, that is the summary. The Root speech
and the Shaw speech were read and approved
by the President before they were delivered.
The Presidents utterances have been indorsed
by the members of his official family. The ad-
ministration is working in absolute harmony,
and the programme outlined in The Tribune OF
March 30, in which Secretary Roots Boston
speech forecast, is being carried out with
a swing which promises satisfactorily for
the administration 1t also promises, what is
perhaps Of even greater Importance, the coun-
try's general acceptance of the Roosevelt idea
of No tariff revision and absolute assurance
of undisturbed business activity, which at the
present moment, the President calls attention
to, is the greatest in the history of the world.
THE Presidents Unquestioned stand at this
time on the tariff and his clear and fearless
enunciation of this position right in the terri
tory whence come the mutterings of a diff
ferent desire together with the unanimous
hacking up he is receiving from his Cabinet and
the hearty approval of his auditors, constitute
a development of the first week of his trip cal
culated to do much toward settling conditions
in the public mind and assuring the continuance
Of that prosperity.
HOW THE PARTY WILL STAND.
1T means that tariff reformers masquerading
under the guise of Republicans will have to
become classified under another name or well
coined back into the ranks Of the Democracy,
as Governor Cummins has been by Bryan. The
Republican party with Roosevelt at its head,
will stand for tariff revision, at least until
after the next Presidential election This is
the lesson to be learned from the developments
of the last week.
That tariff revision means business demorali-
cation there can be no doubt. This is true not
withstanding the fact that the tariff should
be revised by it's friends when it is revised. AS
an illustration take for instance, the pet sched-
ule for attack-the tariff on iron and steel. Sup
pose at the time that the LFIIIth Con-
gress is pledged to tariff revision-which it is
not-what would happen? Simply this: Every
man who contemplated erecting building in
which structural iron WIS be a part would
conclude without the least hesitation that he
could wait just as we'll not until after the
tariff on iron and steel had been reduced. that
he might the 50 a ton which is declared
to be the tariff tax the American consumer.
BY postponing the erection of his building he
not only puts an end to the iron business, but
also TO the brick business, the lumber business,
and also to the prosperity of the men who build
buildings-the mechanics of the country This
same illustration applies to every other sched-
ule which the revisionists might think proper
to take a whack at, and even though this re-
vision would be in the hands of the friends
of the tariff, the same incentive to await the re-
suit of the action Of those friends would be
there, and our hustling prosperity would be
gone.
THE PRESIDENTS SAGACITY.
I'm adopting this NO revision policy and bold
ly proclaiming the same TO the country, Presi-
dent Roosevelt gives a splendid illustration of
his political acumen. Not only will ne do good
to the business interests of the country, but he
will avoid thereby the rock which has caused
disaster TO the party at least two occasions
in its history. If tariff revision means danger to
the business of the country, it means doubly
more danger to the administration which under
takes that revision. No administration has ever
wfthstood its demoralizng effects, and the po-
litical result of checking the present terrific
commercial impetus of the country would be
absolute disaster 70 the political combination
responsible for that check.
From this point of view the wisdom of the
Presidents Western trip at this time is readily
apparent. The public mind Of the vast area
over which he is to travel is to be inoculated
with the same idea Republicanism is to mean
prosperity and 1t is to mean the same thing
wherever it is found The President represents
Republcanism and ii getting together at this
time under a single head means mighty strength
when the time comes for using that force.
THE Presidents personal popularity through
ont the West makes him just the man to make
the nositive announcement which is going forth.
Those who would reform the tariff immediately
viii have to do so under some other name than
Republicans
COUNSEL FOR ALASKAN COMMISSION.