Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1903-09-03
BROKEN PROMISES.
nes can the Republicans he Ex-
s>scted to Refers the TARIFF
rha f,r;ft NJ the Ronuflfcan leo,lors

HeNs Can the Republican, he Ex.
rected to Reforn the TaFlnS
The drift OF the Republican leaders
from reciprocity. to which they We're
ardently committed under the lead "
ship of Blaine and Endorsed by Ms "a.
ley, is reversal Of party poi:.:s ia; ;:
remarkable. When Mr.. Di:i. i
hts Republican associates d,.y.. !. *
Gift bill of 1897 they incorpo. e. ::
it reciprocity clause. and fra IL
unanilnity with which the ai..l Vs..
passed the whole Republican party ~,
peared to indorse it. TO appease ,:.c
ultra protectionists many of the dut::s.>
provided for in the schedules were pur-
posely placed beyond the bounds Ut
reasonable protection, in some cases
higher than the protected interests
asked for, SO that when the rates were
revised by reciprocity treaties they
would still be high enough to protect
the tariff barons from foreign competi.
ton. The bill having expressly pro-
vided for reciprocity treaties, the Nc
Kinley administration at once pro
ceeded to negotiate with foreign coun-
tries. Treaties were made with nearly
every country, but the senate refused
to ratify them, and the schedules are
still retained at the extreme high rates.
This evasion Of the intent and the
letter of the Dingley bill is fraud up
on the taxpayers of the country, per-
petrated in the interest of the trusts
and combines. The few who gain by
the tariff have obtained control of the
machinery Of legislation to the detri-
ment of the many who pay the tax or
the eXorbitant profit to the trusts.
The speaker Of the house of repre-
sentatives is selected and the commit
tees are appointed to conserve the in
tercsts of nlonopolistic combinations
President Roosevelt falls into line with
the majority and agrees that we must
"let we'll enough alone"
The symptoms of revolt against this
policy among the Republican leaders
have been curbed, but in the minds of the
people they are rampant and cannot be
obliterated by the actions of president
or congress. The promise to reform the
iniquities of the tariff after election
will probably be made in the platform
of the Republican national convention.
but the evident intention being to catch
the votes of reformers and then still
"let we'll enough alone" will be toe
palpable to fool the voters. High trust
prices are an object lesson that too
many are suffering from and the prom
Use Of reform at some distant date will
hardly curb their impotence.
When the tariff barons refuse to al
low the ratification of the reciprocity
treaties which were intended to aid our
export trade. how can the Republicans,
no matter what promises they may
make in the national platform, be ex-
pected to revise the tariff: When they
decline to carry out a law of their own
making which would reduce in small
measure the profits of two or three
small monopolies, of what value are
their promises to pass law that would
force competition on all the tariff mo.
nopolists!
With the Republican majority in
congress bound by letters of steel to
the tariff barons it is absurd to expect
them to strike off the shackles, and
they never will do it.