Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1905-07-26
TARIFF REVISION ISSUE WILL
COME IF THE PEOPLE Dc.
MAND IT,
Roosevelt Ready to Act, and Congress
Can Not Ignore Need Of Lower
ing Duties.

Washington, July 26.-Taril re
form will not stay down. 1t pei
sists in coming to the front. There i
again a prospect that congress viii
be forced to do something mex
winter. At the present time it is cor
sidered about a tOSsup whether con
eress will succeed in ignoring tn
subject another year or whether pub
lie opinion will force it to act, II no
with a general revision, then with Ger
tain legislation designed to meet spe
cial requirements.
1t is now generally known tha
President Roosevelt has determined
finally to call special session OF
congress for Nov. 10 next to take ur
the railway question. This informa
ton was given in these dispatches a
week ago and telegram from Oys
ter Bay today says President Roose-
welt has confirmed the news. AS q
matter of fact, he confirmed it week
ago, but it is not generally known
that the president is watching the
commercial situation and public opin-
ion very carefully, and that nc is de-
termined to press tariff reform legls-
lation the first moment he thinks an
Cportunity favorable to success has
arisen. How soon this momen, wilt
come no one knows. 1t may cone
this fall or in the winter; it may be
POSTPONED year or two. Pubic
opinion will decide. If the people
want tariff reform-if they want
step taken toward removing soE,e Of
the inequalities of the present tariff
system and toward reduction OF the
cost of the necessities of life-they
should bring pressure to bear uHon
their representatives in the national
legislature. Writing individual let
ters to senators and representatives
is the best way to secure results.
Fill their mails with appeals for act
ion.
Not long ago President Roosevelt
conferred with number of his
friends as to his tariff policy during
the present year The confereas
were certain progressive members
of the cabinet and personal trlen9S
of the president who do not hold any
public office. They discussed the
matter in all its bearings and reached
these general conclusions. to whict-
President Roosevelt assented and
which correctly represents his att.
tude at this time:
There should be a moderate re-
vision of the tariff schedules.
The revision should be downward,
not upward.
Foreign competition should be
slightly stimulated in order to keep
prices down to reasonable basis.
Protection should be reduced on all
articles which American mannfactm-
ers sell cheaper abroad than at home.
Reciprocity agreements should he
made with Germany and other nations
for the pnrpoese of charging Ameri-
can commerce abroad and to protect
from loss the commerce which we al
ready have
The administration should take
the lead in urging these reforms upon
the congress, but the president should
not do so till he is convinced the con-
gress is ready to follow his recon-
mendation with action.
AS the president expressed it at
the conference with his friends, "tarif
reform should be had. and tn admin
istraion is heartily for it. but moth
ing is to be gained bF starting a quar-
rel between the administration and
the leaders in congress.
The decision was as stat ! 20
press tariff action whenever t""fc ap-
pears to be a fair prospect ion sNc-
cess
Recent events have raised the uYcs-
ton whether or not that favorable
opportunity is near at hand. The
German problem. first outlined in
these dispatches, must be met Ghe
Panama purchase furry served to
rouse public attention.
But this is not all. The call for
tho recinrooitv convention, al ChicaoO