Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1905-10-26
IS to the Stand Patters.

The Massachusetts Republican re-
visionists ami advocates OF reciprocity
were lot strong enough to nominate
a ticket and TO absolutely dictate a
platform, but they were strong enough
to force a feeble declaration into the
Platform ana to scare Senator Henry
Cabot Lodge into making concessions
in his speech. lie is still boss of the
old Bay State Republicans, but he is
not 50 clipper as formerly. In COM
mentiEg on the present status of the
stand patte.s the st. Louis Republic
says eaitorially
The old guard of the fossilized stand
pat faction of the Republican party in
congress have been gathering in Wash
ington, buttonlloling the president and
mursnuring into his ear that the country
is still solid for Dinghy. Nobody at all
wants tie tariff tinlSered a little bit, is
their story. They claim that they have
converted Mr.. Roosevelt to their way of
Thinking and rejoice greatly in the assur-
ance tat he will go softly on the tariff
in his message or not mention it at all.
This is very good for buncombe, but
somebody would like to know how in the
heavens above or in the earth beneath
they have converted the president from
policy which he has never professed.
From his accession to the presidency
Until now Mr.. Roosevelt has thrown cold
water on all suggestions of tariff revision,
declaring that the most oppressive trusts
are not those sheltered by the Dingley
act. If he Sights the tariff issue In his
forthcoming message he will be doing
just what was Indicated at least three
years ago.
Whether Mr.. Roosevelt is satisfied that
the Dingley trade killer is good enough
for the present and that the people will
put up with its robberies awhile longer is
a matter of small Importance. The fact
in the case IS Mr.. Roosevelt is set in the
determination 10 effect railway rate leg
islation and does not wish to be diverted
from this task by what he may consider
side Issues If the tariff needs fixing. the
tariff can wait
That is Roosevelt's side of the situation.
His stand pat visitors have had nothing
whatever TO Go with it. He is going in
for rate regulation, and he knows mighty
wei that if soreheads like the Republic
ans of the west and of Massachusetts can
set the Republican majority in congress
by the ears with an interminable wrangle
over tariff revision, reciprocity, maximum
and minimum and things of that sort his
game is lost. He will, therefore, hold
revision until that question is disposed of.
Stand pat senators and representatives
in Washington are talking what they
wish rather than what they know. There
is RodeEberg of the East St. Louis dis
trict. He says that everybody in his
neck o. the woods is satisfied with the
Dingley robberies. The Honorable Joseph
C. Cannon talks in the same vein. But
Senator CulloIn has been tolerably hard
up against the grindstone since June and
is not making any afiidayits to their
statements. lie knows better. He knows
that the reciprocity convention meant
something, and he went around to enough
old settlers and old soldiers meetings
during the summer to find out that the
Republicans of Illinois are not satisfied
to let the Dingley tariff alone.
If the Massachusetts Republicans are
in any way representative of their party
in the east, Republican senators from
that section are as far out of line in their
stand pat stand as Rodenberg and Can
non are out of line with Republican sem
tinaent in Illinois Massachusetts, Repub-
hcans in their platform not only declare
in favor of tariff revision, but urge
propaganda among Republican congress-
men from other states to impress upon
them the wisdom of Il consideration of
the tariff for u purpose of revision and
reimbursement.
Between Republican congressman who
follow the president in the direction of
rate regulation and those who follow
their inclinations to pluck Dingley there
is promise of abundant harmony of the
parrot and monkey kind.