Lewiston inter-state news. [volume] (Lewiston, Idaho) 1905-1906, 1905-12-08
HANG IT UP
BY THE TAIL
Speaker Cannon's View Concerning
Tariff Revision.

Tariff Revision.
Washington, D. C.-Speaker Cannon
has told correspondent Of the New
York Herald just why he opposes the
Massachusetts and other tariff revisers,
and gave his ideas of the recent elec-
tions which somehow differ from those |
OF most other statesmen who have seen
in them sure signs that the country is |
going to the "demnition bow vows" Of
socialism unless the ideas Of President
Roosevelt for Capitalization Of power
are Immediately enacted into law.
Uncle Joe" sees in the elections only |
signs that the voters have learned to
local issues and glories in it.
Il came to ask you for your defini-
tion of the phrase, Hanging up the
country by the tail,'" remarked the
Herald reporter.
On Thursday last, when leaving the
White House, he was surrounded by a
party of reporters, one of whom had
asked him what was to be done in the
way Of tariff revision and the speaker
had replied:
Il am not in favor of hanging the
country up by the tail, and If this is to
be done it will not have the assistance
of my state.'
WELL" said the speaker, when he
had considered the question in it's va
rious aspects, that is proper inquiry
which the Herald is making of me. and
will be very glad to explain what I
meant by not being in favor of hang
ing the country up by the tail.
Country Never So Prosperous.
I'VE have a mighty prosperous and
contented country these days, young
is as prosperous as it ought to be- but
won't discuss that, merely resting on
the statement that 1t never was quite
so prosperous before.
"Some persons may think 1t is not as
contented as might be desired but l
think it is a great deal more contented
than it believes itself to be. From one
end Of the country to the other there is
production the like of which I have
never known. The crops are enormous.
The corn crop is buster, the wheat
crop is showing out the sides of the
granaries, the hay crop is excellent:
the only complaint that is made of the
cotton crop is that it is so large Why,
only the other day a prominent citizen
of Nebraska was in here and said that
the net profits of Nebraska alone would
be $2O.OO0.OOO.
"The factories for the most part are
running full and the railroads We're
never taxed as they are today. This
great country of more than eighty mill
lion people is feeling the impulse Of
| good times in every fiber Of it's make
up.
Opposed to Tariff Agitation.
"Now what said the other day when
I was asked about the prospects for
tariff revision was meant to indicate
that I was emphatically opposed to
starting tariff agitation in congress
which would in any sense initiate
against this satisfactory condition of
affairs.
"If we were going to revise the tariff
we would have to build from the base
up. We would have to establish a
ground work on which we would de-
eide about how great would be the in
creases or reductions from the present
schedules. Then we would have tO
build up, taking into consideration all
the interests affected, the diverse pro-
ducts of the entire country. and in
this way prepare bill which would
have the support of enough votes tc
pass it. Now If we undertook to dc
this the very first effect would be felt
in the arteries of retail trade.
"Storekeepers would let their stocks
run down: that would affect the facto.
ries. The mills would quit running or
such full time; that would affect the
wage earners. In a very short time
there would he great unrest in the
. business world. Men would become
cautious about embarking on new en-
terprises; the tremendous squirt we ar'
, having in the erection of new buildings
, and the planning of new enterprises
in the building of new railroads and II
the rebuilding of old ones-all thi
would be checked and perhaps stopped
i Era of Depression Would Return.
r "Importations would drop off. stock
would become low on the shelves
" iobbers. the revenues of the govern
. ment would fall off and the first thin
= we knew the country would be in
. condition of depression similar to wha
s we knew about nine or ten years ag'
:. "That is what I mean when / spea
: of hanging the country up by the tai
~ We used to swing dogs by the tail whe
- we were boys 1t must have been
= very uncomfortable sensation for tf
(Continued on page five.)