Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1903-06-06
THE PRESIDENT AND IOWA.
Mistake of the Democracy Re~a-d-
ing the Tariff Situation
in That State.

Some of the democratic papers are
saying that President Roosevelt has
been converted to the Iowa idea re-
garding the tariff. The fact is. how
ever, that Gov. Cummins, one of the
leading opponents Of the Iowa fad
has been won over to the presidents
side on that question. According to
revelations which have just been
made, the president, in the interview
which he had with the Iowa cover
: nor, showed that the latter stood on
the platform of the st. Louis conyen-
ton of 1896, on which Mckinley was
nominated the first time. That plat
form set forth: eve are not pledged
to any particular schedules. The
question of rates is a practical one,
to be governed by the conditions of
the time and of production. The rul-
ing and uncompromising principle is
the protection and development of
American labor and industries.'' Cum
minis acknowledged that he stood on
that declaration. The presumption
is that platform along that line will
be adopted in the approaching repub-
Ican convention in Iowa, says the st.
Louis Globe-Democrat
The republicans carried out the
platform expression of 1896 when
| they enacted the Dingley law of 1897.
That act has given the country sat
isfaction. No sort of trade statute
can be eternal, and some time or
other the Dingley law will be revised
by the republicans. It is well to re-
member that that act was one of the
big factors in the restoration of the
prosperity which came to the coun-
try, very quickly after the democrats
were turned out of the government
| and the republicans were put in
power. The act has not yet outliyed
its usefulness. The president is con-
vinced of the truth of this PROPOSE
ton. There would be no sense in
making any changes in this law at
the present time. No sane republic
an in the country who thinks of the
damage that tariff tinkering has
done to the party guilty of it when it
was done just before an important
election will urge revision by the
congress which meets next winter.
That congress, in its first term, will
be in session at the time the two big
conventions meet. \ scheme of tariff
revision which should be entered on
in the session which begins in De-
cember, 1908, would carry the enact
ment of the bill to a date a few
months previous to the election,
The papers which are saying the
president has surrendered to the
Cummings faddists ought to know
that William 3. Allison is to write
the platform Of the coming Iowa
convention. It is we'll known that
Allison has always been against the
immediate revision folly. He. was
hostile to Cummings influence in the
dictation Of the policy Of the Iowa
republicans Of course, the Iowa
idea did not have the slightest eff
feet in the congressional canvass of
1902, except as it sent Henderson
| into retirement. Henderson's dis
trict, however, is represented by
man who cares as little about the
| Cummins idea as did Henderson
himself, but he has sense enough to
hold on to his seat. The point OF
prime Importance is to avert all
schemes of tariff revision which are
intended to go into operation before
the presidential election. The ques-
ton can be talked about afterward
with less danger to the party, and
less, also. to trade. Senator AL
1;son will see to it that nothing will
get into his state platform which
will make him or Iowa ridiculous.
The tariff will not be introduced
into the approaching campaign, ex-
cept as the democrats may do this
by attacking the protective system.
Their attacks, # they are made, will
be welcome. Nothing would please
the republicans of the nation more
than to see the democrats make
fierce assault on the tariff all along
the lire. If Cummiils and his awl-
ward squad OF tariff smashers can
incite the democracy to make an as
; sault on the protective policy by
which the country has secured o
prosperity unknown anywhere else
in the world, they will do a rare
service for their party.
Cleveland Versus Bryan.