Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-06-27
AS TO TARIFF REFORM
Slim Chance That Incoming
Congress Will Do Anything.
LOOKS LIKE BETRAYAL OF VOTERS

Opportunity For Republicans to Re-
deem Tariff Revision Promises.
Only Fourteen Votes Needed to
Turn the Scales and Place Trust
PrOducts on the Free List.
The Republicans are getting together
on the tariff and the reformers in Iowa
and elsewhere have Succumbed to the
threats of the protectioniSts that they
would find themselves outside of the
Republican ramparts if they persisted
in their efforts to change even one
schedule of the Dingley law. The de-
luded voters in Iowa, Wisconsin and
elsewhere who last fall elected the
Republican candidates for congress on
their promise and that of Mr.. Bah
cock, the chairman of the Republican
congressional committee, that the in
coming congress was charged with the
duty of revising the tariff" are left in
the lurch. There are those who believe
Mr.. Babcock was never sincere in his
promises to reform those tariff sched-
ules that shelter the trusts, but there
are other Republican congressman who
made similar promises who are credit
ed with desire to redeem them. How
can they do so? The majority of the
Republican members of the next con-
gress, that will soon meet, are deter
mined stand patters" and are pledged
to not change a letter of the sacred
law.
There is only one way open to those
Republican members of congress who
really desire tariff reform, and that is
to join the Democrats in demanding it.
To be successful in this there must be
fourteen Republicans willing to join
such a coalition, for the trust party
has tw6nty-seYen majority in con-
gress. 1t is hardly likely that fourteen
independent Republicans can be found
who will so vote. Judging by the past.
Mr.. Babcock certainly will not do so.
A bill to place trust productions ON the
free list will be introduced in the in
coming congress and an opportunity
will be thus given the supposed re-
formers to curb the eXorbitant trust
prices.
The rules that the Republican ma
jority in congress will again adopt are
intended to prevent any vote being
taken on bill that the leaders do not
approve. The power given the speaker
is so autocratic that he can refuse to
recognize any member, to call up bin
or offer an amendment to one that does
not suit the Republican leaders. But
fourteen Republicans can change the
rules if they vote with the Democrats.
Nearly every western state is repre-
scented by one or more congressman
who promised the voters of their dis
tricts to vote for tariff reform, but they
will need a good deal of squirting by
the voters to make them keep their
word. There are two or three Massa-
chusetts congressman who are ready to
vote for free raw materials and one Of
them, Mr.. Lowering. will urge the pas
sage of his drawback bill, which is in
fact a modification of the tariff. If a
tariff bill Of any kind can be brought
up for consideration the Democrats
can propose an amendment to place
trust productions on the free list and
every member of the house will have
to go on record by a yea and nay vote.
That proposition will be defeated in
all probability and the Democrats can
then present the matter to the jury Of
all the voters of the United States at
the presidential election.