Gloucester County Democrat., 1905-12-07
"lnmediate Tariff Revision"

"lmmediate Tariff Revision"
Since the election the lecture business
has taken me into and through twenty
states from the gulf to the Canadian
line. have talked with all conditions
of men of all shades of political opin-
ions. / have listened much more than
/ have talked. From all | have read
and heard | am convinced that the
stand patters will have the time of
their lives to keep the tariff revision is
sue down at this session of congress.
The demand for it is so strong wide
spread and insistent that it will even
penetrate the thick walls of the capitol,
and in the south end of that building
this winter there will be many Repub-
Iican statesmen who. representing
Democratic or close districts, will have
very sensitive tympanums. Mr.. Speak
er Cannon may talk as much as he
pleases about his disincIination to see
1.-THE country held up by the tall but
the aforesaid representatives holding
their places by feeble and uncertain
tenure, win be constantly propounding
to themselves this leading question:
What will It profit us to vote so as
to enable the stand patters to gain an
other big slice of the world if we are
to lose our own seats in the house of
representatives Self preservation is
the first law of nature, and it will
operate upon the minds I'D actions of
these Republican statesmen who find
themselves in precarious and delicate
situation. That ilIustrious Missourian,
Mark Twain, has sagely remarked,
Human nature is strong, and we all
have heap of it in u.s." Republican
representatives constitute no exception
to Marks rule.
The Republicans have ia majority
in the house. If fifty-eight of them
should conclude that tariff revision is
good thing there will be tariff re-
vision in the house, for every Demo
crat would vote for it.
The demand is not local. 1t extends
from Cape Cod to Omaha. Governor
Albert B. Cummins, an ambitious
statesman out in Iowa, is fighting for
it tooth and nail. Since this falls cleo
tions he has been joined by Governor
Elect Curtis Guild of Massachusetts.
AS a matter of fact, so far as i have
been able to discover after diligent in
quiry, the movement for tariff revision
and genuine reciprocity is stronger in
Massachusetts than in any other Re
publican state. 1t would seem strange
to see the old Bay State lead the cru
sade for tariff revision and for reci-
procity, but in the present posture of
affairs it is possible, perhaps probable.
A philosopher once said, "Ihe most
sensitive nerve in the human anatomy
is the nerve leading to the pocketbook, !"
and nowhere is that nerve more sensi-
tive than among the thrifty peoplesof
Massachusetts,. Under the sacred Ding
ley bill, which stand patters tell US is
the fount of every blessing, Massachu-
setts sees her cotton industries going
to the south and her boot and shoe in
dustries going to st. Louis, and she In
alarm for her future sends up Mace
donian cry for free raw materials
Finding that she was not likely to get
free raw materials without relinquish-
ing part of the tariff on boots, shoes,
harness and leather, she has advanced
far enough to be willing to do that.
1t will be remembered that Governor
Douglas, Democrat. was elected last
year largely by reason of his advocacy
of tariff revision
Governor Elect Guild, Republican, is
now singing the same song as Douglas,
Governor Guilds letter to President
Roosevelt is liable to be regarded as
an epoch maker in Massachusetts pol
itics.
This sentence develops the cause of
the demand by Massachusetts Repub-
licans for tariff revision: "The Repub-
lican ticket, in my judgment, would
have been overwhelmingly defeated If
our platform, on which both Mr.. Dra-
per and stood, had not contained a
plank indorsing the position taken last
spring by our delegation in congress
favoring immediate tariff revision
That is the moving why, Governor
Guild ct Id genus omne are in hurry
to induce President Roosevelt to help
them down the arrogant stand patsers.