The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-08-11
IMMEDIATE PHASE,

Politics seems to be slowly but surely developing
towards situation in which the tariff and trust issue
will pay prominent part, if not the foremost A
year ago the argument for revision possessed less
of the logic of truth than was there any lack
of fact of national experience to support it. But the
question had nothing of its present vitality Recent
developments have SO Illuminated national and ndi-
vdua necessities impress the revision plea upon
the popular mind with something of the force of con-
vction Unless the denials of standpa organs are to
be received without question the demand for another
and different tariff, for honester tariff, is growing
in popular will and intention; the tariff issue is being
impeled forward.
The tariff ISSUE" as it lives in the mind of the
people whole to-day is perhaps impossible Of defi-
non but certain is that there is implied the desire
for change. The extent of the change is matter OF
difference between the old and plainly announced DEM
ocratic doctrine and the doctrine of Iowaism in its
broader significance, the latter doctrine less precisely
expressed but extending far enough certainly to de-
nounce the more patent ills and nquties OF the pres
ent schedule and system.
Democrats and Republicans alike recognize that 1t
is with present evil they have to deal-a condition
Facing the common condition, they will be occupied
not so much with theory conflicting theories Rec
ognzing the evil to be reality revsioniss will be re-
yisonists first and partisans afterwards.
Those glarng incidents of the year which have
illuminated the extent and operation Of the tariff have
shown the tariff to be practically dictated
by Its beneciaries themselvesthe trusts The people
have had their attention sgnaly directed to proofs
that trust-owned lawmakers, armed with suggestion
from their clients prepared piece Of class legislation
in behalf Of the concerns which. have monopolized
many Of the countys natural resources and most OF
its manufacturing facilities that 1t was legislation OF
the trusts by the trusts for the trusts Not only was
1t class legislatiOnt was designed to exort from the
masses, the wage-earners and consumers-whom the
lawmakers supposed to represent 1t represented
both robbery and betrayal and terms less bald and
hard suffice to describe it. 1t is the venal aspect OF
the tariff schedules which the years revelations have
emphasized and it is great public ILL., rather than
gross political error that the tariff is naturally pre-
scented to the people AS this phase of the question
grows partisan or political distinctions among the
people themselves tend to become effaced They are
concerned first with the tariffs immediate aspect; with
distractions and theories and doctrines and political
affiliations later.
So far as the Dingley bill there should
be no dividing difference between the Republican re-
visonist and the Democrat The soealled Republican
and the socaled Democrat have faced many public
evils together shoulder to shoulder The Republican
politicians have made and making 1t virtually i'm
possible for the revsonist to cast his weight for his
own party-the party has set itself against him. In
framing It's policy and formulating its plan for attack
upon fostered monopoly the Democratic party should
include specific appeal to the Republican revslonist
for his cooperation. looking to the immediate action
That the support Of ibsral Republicans is possible
reasonable is borne out by the logic Of the st
alton and by past political experience.