Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1905-09-07
Especial Washington Letter.

M III ANY signs indicate that the
ME breach betwixt the Repub-
lican factions widens daily
No one sign that / wot Of Is
more significant than the attitude of
the Kansas City Star. It is an indie
pendent paper with pronounced Re
publican bias. Indeed, it would be do
ing the Star no injustice to say that it
is an independent Republican paper.
1t is ably edited and has a vast circu-
lation III two great states Missouri
and Kansas--with a considerable circu-
lation in Iowa, Nebraska, Arkansas,
Texas. Oklahoma and the Indian Ter
Titory The chances are that it's read
ers are in the proportion of two Re-
publicans to one Democrat Neverthe-
less it pounds away continually in
favor of tariff revision and reciprocity,
and its pounding is bound to be eff
fectual, for the average citizen will
finally believe anything that he sees in
cold type often enough, just as a con
slant dripping will wear away even
the hardest stone. To convert to tariff
revision and reciprocity its Republican
clientele is the hard task which the
Star appears to have taken for its own.
The adjective '.hard" is here used adj
visedly, because the Kansas and Mis-
souri, Republicans are as thoroughly
s'sot in their ways as any others be-
twixt the two oceans. AS d rule what
ever platform the Republican leaders
a griInace by the masses of Missouri
and Kansas Republicans. They not
only swallow it. but smack their lips
as though they like it.
Therefore some idea may be formed
Of the boldness of the Stars missionary
work by reading an editorial which ap-
peared in its issue of Aug. Is.
Under the caption, President Nc
Kinley's Last Speech" 1t says:
In connection with the reciprocity con-
ference in Chicago it is interesting to re-
call some of the passages in President
McKinley's Buffalo speech made the day
before he was shot. After recalling the
prosperity Of the country, the president
spoke of the danger of stagnation from
failure to meet new conditions with new
policies.
The great need, he said, was to extend
American markets, and he cautioned the
nation not to 'repose in fancied security
that could forever sell everything and
buy little or nothing. What we produce
beyond our domestic consumption" he
continued must have a vent abroad.
The excess must be relieved through a
foreign outlet" And then he added the
much quoted words:
1.-THE period of exclusiveness is past.
The expansion Of our trade and commerce
is the pressing problem. Commercial
wars are Improbable. A policy of good
will and friendly trade relations will pre-
vent reprisals Reciprocity treaties are
in harmony with the spirit of the times;
measures of retaliation are not
This is the classic statement of the
reciprocity doctrine from an avowed pro-
tectionist who had knowledge of the
popular mind that has rarely been equal
ed. Nothing has occurred since President
McKinleyss death to impair the force of
his reasoning. The assembly of the reel
procity conference itself is evidence of the
growth of the idea of the Buffalo speech.
Republicans who are timorous because
of the spread of the new doctrine need to
be reminded that the Chicago meeting is
merely trying to make effective the pol
icy laid down by the author of the Nc
Kinley tariff law.