Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1903-09-10
BROKEN PROMISES.
How Can the Republicans BE Ex-
pected 10 Reform the Tarin.

III" tbh tue E.A-
pected ia Reform the Tarin.
The DRIFT Of the Republican leaders
from reciprocity, TO which they We're
ardently committed under the leader
ship of Blaine and indorsed by AfcKin-
ley, is a reversal OF party policy that is
remarkable. When Mr.. Dingley and
his Republican associates devised the
tariff bill of 1897 they incorporated in
it a reciprocity clause, and from the
unanimity with which the bill was
passed the whole Republican party APP
peared to indorse it. To appease the
ultra protectionists many OF the duties
provided for in the schedules We're pur-
posely placed beyond the bounds of
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
Kipley 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
terests of mOnopolistic combinations.
President Roosevelt falls into line with
the majority and agrees that we must
"let well enough alone"
The symptoms of revolt against this
policy among the Republican leaders
have been curbcd, but in the minds of the
people they are rampant and cannot be
obliteratcd by the actions of president
or congress. The promise to reform the
iniquitics Of the tariff after election
viii probably be made in the platform
of the Republican national convention,
but the evident intention being to catch
the votes of rcformers and then still
"let we'll enough alone" will be too
palpablc 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 viii
hardly curh 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 Il Jaw of their own
making Which would reduce in a small
measure the profits of two or three
small monopoles, of what value are
their promises to pass Il law that would
force competition on all the tariff mo-
nopolists?
With the Republican majority in
congress bound by fctters Of steel to
the tariff barous it is absurd to expect
them to strike of the shaclilos, and
they never will do ii,