The Oskaloosa herald., 1904-12-01
ROOSEVELT AND TARIFF.

New York Press (Rep.): Those
newspapers which conducted MI.
Parker's canvass for the. presidency
are now engaged in calling" an e x
ira session of congress to treat what
to them and to their free trade allies
are burning questions" OF tariff re-
vision and Canadian reciprocity.
From the whit house comes the au-
thoritatiye announcement that the
president does not deem the subject
of such pressing Importance as to
even demand treatment in his mes
sage. Notwithstanding the fret OF
the newspapers that supported Mr..
Parker or tried to discredit MI.
Roosevelt before his nomination, tar
if revision and Canadian reciprocity
will have no place in the message to
congress.
President Roosevelt and the Re
publican party will go on with the
treatment Of the really vital ques-
tions on which the country voted on
November s. Tariff revision and
Canadian reciprocity were not among
these questions. The country did
not, two weeks ago, vote that tariff
revision was a matter demanding ur-
: gent action. Not even Massachu-
sets voted that way; for when the
people want any national policy put
into effect they do not go about it by
electing governors, who, though adj
vocating such a policy, can have
! nothing to do with carrying out the
policy. If the people OF Massachu-
sets had been in favor Of the imme-
date and sweeping revision Of the
tariff, which Democratic newspapers
are now demanding, they would have
elected those candidates for congress
who stood for early and radical
changes in the protective schedules.
For it is congress-, and not COVER
! nors, that change tariff laws, rs the
[ organs which are pointing to the
} election of Mr.. Douglas in Massachu-
setts as evidence of a strong sentt-
ment for revision and reciprocity
D seem to forget.
) Instead of sending tariff revision
Democrats to the house, Massachu-
) sets elected eleven Republican rep
7 resentatives as against ten Republi-
can representatives two years ago;
and it gave Mr.. Roosevelt, who sure
3 ly made no appeal to the voters OF
Massachusetts on the tariff revision
: and reciprocity issues" o tremen-
dous plurality. The Massachusetts
voters did not houghtlessly elect the
republican representatives who had
made no promise of early tariff revis-
y ion. They were not merely swept in
y on the Roosevelt tidal wave. In Mas
Il ~sachusetts the Australian ballot COM
: pels the voter to select each indiyid-
ual for whom he desires to vote. He
u cannot vote the whole party ticket by
crossing a circle at the head of 1t.
v In the case of Massachusetts mem,
bers of congress. therefore, the Magsa
chusettnsEESSttssg -nnsleatsa@aazasnsii9
taxable and positive preference fo
those candidates for congress who df
IT not make a special appeal for the ear
Is ly and radical revision of the protect
n i've tariff and who did not promise tt
n work for Canadian reciprocity. The
n argument that the Massachusetts vot-
ers elected a change in the tariff
schedules is about as impressive as
would be the claim that the people of
v the state swarmed to the standard of
o President Roosevelt in the hope of
y bringing about municipal reforms ur-
A. gently desired in Boston, Chicago and
S, San Francisco.
l. What is true of Massachusetts, vote
II as indicating what the people want
and do not want in the way of tariff
0, legislation, is true in a larger measure
s of all the country. In Massachusetts
10 Inc republicans gained only one mem.
Of Der of congress IN the ~stand-pat issue,
II but in the other states they gained al
"a together fifty-one members. Nearly
Of all these new republican members, il
n not every one of them, were elected
without any understanding on the
lie part Of the voters that the representa-
tives would take their seats as quick
lie ly as the president could call them IL
N extraordinary session to attack the
IL tariff system and to adopt the demo
es cratic program of Canadian and othel
D. reciprocity"
III 1t is clear from the White House an
nouncement of Saturday that Presi
dent Roosevelt takes the unmistaka
BILE verdict of the country on the tariff
question far more seriously than tn
silly argument Of the Parker organ
that the choice Of a democratic gov
- ernor of Massachusetts,, notwithstand
ing the election of a house which vii
be republican by the abnormal major
e. ity of 11S, is to be interpreted as tn
voice of the nation calling for an 81
ira session to put through with fever
ism haste a democratic free trade pre-
~ gram disguised as"tariff revision" an
- Canadian reciprocity"
Dr. WoMAN'S CLUB.