The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-04-04

! THE PARA MOUNT ISSUE
Mr.. Byran is averse to making the
tariff the paramount issue of the DEM
ocratic party in the next presidential
campaign. In his speech at the JEFF
| fersonian banquet at Des Moines, Ia,
on Thursday night he said: 1.-THE Dem
ocratic party has been defeated more
often on The tariff issue than any other
issue, and yet that is the issue the re-
organizers would make the paramount
one" He does not object to that is
sue being made the most prenl-
nent because it is the one that the
able that the fact that they favor it
has something to do with his objection
to it, but he wants to keep paramount
the issues which were the prominent
ones when he made his campaigns for
the presidency. And yet, in the course
of his Des .Moines speech, he gave ex-
celent reasons, it seems to US, for MAX
ing the tariff the paramount issue.
Speaking of Gov. Cummings of Iowa,
he said: He is going to try to engraft
the Iowa idea" on the national Re
publican platform. And what is the
Iowa idea?" It's that there shall be
a. reduction of the tariff, particularly
on trust-made articles Mr.. Bryan said
that Gov. Cummings was showing SYM
pathy with the people as against the
corporations. Would not the Demo-
cratic party be showing sympathy with
the people by taking practically the
same course2 If it is popular and right
for Gov. Cummings to insist upon
reduction of the tariff, would it not be
popular for the Democratic party to do
so, particularly as the Democratic
party has always been against the high
protective systematic system which
one of the trust magnates said was
the mother of trusts?"
Mr. Bryan thinks that Gov, Cum
mings and other Governors of Western
states should be encouraged to con-
tinue their fight for tariff reduction,
because It will make converts to the
Democratic party. 1t may make few,
but would there not be a general
movement to the Democratic party all
over the West If that party were to
make the reduction OF the tariff its
paramount issue?
Tariff reduction is popular all
through the West. 1t is so popular
that it is alarming the Republican
leaders. They are doing their utmost
to discourage the tariff reduction sem
timent in their own party. Mr.. Root
the Secretary of War, made a speech
in Boston on Thursday night, in which
he said that it was the policy of the
administration to have no tinkering
of the tariff prior to the presidential
election, but that after the election the
friends of the tariff would revise it.
1t looks, therefore, as If the Demo-
cratic party could choose no more pop
ular issue than that of the tariff. What
difference does it make if it has been
defeated on that issue a number of
times? 1t hadn't the antitrust senti-
ment back of it when it was defeated.
With the help of that sentiment there
are good reasons for thinking it would
sweep the country.
And with the tariff as the paramount
issue 1t is probable that there would
be harmony in the Democratic party.
The Bryan faction could favor it with
out Sc ling to take a step backward
because the Democratic party has al
ways been in favor of tariff reduction,
and, besides. that faction favors the
strongest kind of measures against
trusts. In what way could the trusts
be so effectively assailed as by taking
from them the shelter which the pres
ent protective tariff affords them?