Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1904-02-23
Broken Promises.

A Republican, or any prominence,
who openly favors reforming the tariff
or curling the trusts, is playing an up
lill game All the powerful monopo-
lies and corporations that are interest
Ell pour out money to defeat any Re-
publican who shows independence, and
the great majority of the Republican
newspapers attack him as traitor. 1t
matters not that all he desires is to
see the most moderate reform accom-
plished and still claim to believe in
the doctrine of protection. Out in
Iowa Governor CAmmins has declared
for what is called the Iowa Idea, !"
which is merely TO reform those sched-
ules of the tariff that shelter the trusts
and possibly carry the reformation far
enough to prevent the trusts selling
cheaper in foreign countries than to
our people. 1t is reasonable TO sup
pose that even a protectionist, if he
is not interested in some trust or mo-
nopoly, would favor such a moderate
reform. The farmers are demanding
1t, and those whose incomes are limit
ed favor any plan that will reduce the
cost of living to match their ability to
supply their reasonable necessities.
But the leaders of the Republican par
ty say, Let well enough alone" and
they control Congress and the corpora
tons control them. SO reform is i'm
possible as long as this league of the
politicians and plumber are kept in
power by the voters The great ma
jority of the Republican newspapers
are controlled by this league, and they
hound reformer to political oblivion
the moment he becomes dangerous to
the corporationse. Thus the Des
Moines Capital, the leading Republi-
can newspaper of Iowa, says:
Governor Cuamins' inaugural adj
dress places him distinctly in accord
with the Democratic party and dis
tinetly not in accord with what we be-
lieve to be republicanism. We say
these things with regret, but the time
has arrived to say them.
1T occurs to US that the time has
arrived also for individuals to be ig-
nored and for Republicans to give ut,
terance to their opinions
Many other Republican papers talk
in the same strain and yet the only
offense Governor Cummins has COM
mitted is that he favors reciprocity
with Canada and that the time has
come to reform those tariff schedules
that shelter trusts That according
to partisan Republicans, places him
distinctly in accord with the Demo
cratic party" That is an abominable
crime in Iowa, and to help the people
against the trust robbery reads a Re-
publican out of his party. Thus the
issue is Joined and the voters who are
independent enough to vote for their
own interests must decide the ques-
ton.
With the cost Of living advanced to
about the highest point. with the trusts
in the saddle, with a Republican Con-
gress refusing to take any step toward
reform, the lot of the ordinary citizen
is not a bed Of roses.
IHeFe may De SOME HePuDlcdn can
didates for Congress next fall who
will promise to vote to reform the tar
if, but if they are elected they Will be
powerless to carry any such PROPOSE
ton. There are number of Repub-
lican members Of the present Congress
who gave like promises, but they are
either sleeping, or perchance have for
gotten. for they are certainly not try
ing to accomplish anything in that di-
rection. If those who promised re-
form, before election, were in earnest
they would join with the Democrats
in forcing the Committee of Ways and
Means to report one of the several bills
that are now before the committee,
but which the great majority of the
Republican members do not wish to
vote upon. 1t would require fifteen
Republicans to join the Democrats and
force a vote on tariff reform, but they
will not do it. The moral 10 the voters
therefore is, vote only for the candi-
date who really favors reducing the
tariff, and not those who promise to
do so merely to secure their election.