Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1905-06-08
WAR PROBABLE
Tariff Sure to Bring Division
to Republican Ranks.
ACTION OF CANAL COMMISSION.

ACTION OF CANAL COMMISSION.
Worst Blow h Protection Element
Has Received In Y~ears-Stand Pat
Crowd Angered Over Expose of
TariG-Iiobber Prices In Connection
With the Panama Enterprise.
The sorrows that have fallen upon
the Republican camp these halcyon
days of the verdant springtime have
developed a condition which NAV have
important bearing upon the presiden-
tial aspirations of at leatt two emf
nent Republican leaders.
That the Republican party is badly
split up over the expose of tariff rob-
Der prices in connection with the Pan
m canal enterprise there can be no
question. The announcement that in
the absence of positive action to the
contrary by congress the canal COM
mission will make its purchases In the
markets Of the world, thus forcing
American manufacturers to meet COM
petition from abroad, has proved the
worst blow the high tariff element has
received in years, and that such a blow
should have. been delivered by a Re-
publican administration has made the
stand pat crowd howl out loud and
threaten dire things.
There are wheels within the admin
istration wheels, all of them more or
less political. Immediately the old
tariff leaders like Uncle Joe Cannon,
| General Grosvenor and John Dalzell
gave evidence Of resentment toward
the action of the canal commission and
the administration, our old friend Les
lie M. Shaw, secretary Of the treas
ury and foxy politician of the Iowa
stripe, thought he saw his chance. He
has been quietly nursing a presidential
boom for many days. With the mighty
Taft implicated in this treason" to the
blessed tariff wall, why was not this
the chance Of Uncle Leslie's life? So
he thought, and at once he jumped to
the fore as critic Of the action Of the
traitor" commission and the TRAITOR"
secretary of war.
Uncle Leslie began by repudiating
the suggestion that President Roose-
welt Endorsed this Panama business.
Since it has been shown that the presi-
dent himself approves the policy out
lined by the commission and the secre-
tary Of war, he has refrained from dis
cussing his chief in connection with it,
but he is none the less positive In the
position he has taken against this Gin
iquity" Of taking from the trusts the
opportunity to unload their products
upon the canal builders at their fancy
American prices. He believes thor
oughly in the righteousness Of this gov
ernment's paying the steel trust, to IL
lustrate, $780, 100000 for machinery and
materials which that benevolent organ
ization would sell to foreigners at $780,
100000.
The secretary Of the treasury sees
ahead the possibility Of securing for
himself the backing Of that high pro
lection element which would add to
the tariff wall rather than substract
from it, and he is happy. He should
not, however, heap congratulations
upon himself too early in the game.
1t may not be as good politics as he
now thinks to shove Mr.. Taft into the
limelight as the representative Of that
sensible tariff revision policy implied
in the canal commissions action. Mr..
Taft is a coy young thing who says he
has no presidential aspirations, but
sometimes a nan who is not anxious
to jump to the center Of the stage is
willing enough to be showed there,
and a presidential candidate who
stands on q platform Of good, sound,
business sense is a dangerous oppo'
nent-even inside the Republican
party.
This tariff controversy is sure tc
bring about serious divisions inside
Republican ranks. The stand patters
will attempt to force the Republicans
Of congress to repudiate the action Of
the canal commission, and a merry
war is in prospect. This may over
shadow the present division between
the secretary Of the treasury and the
secretary of war, or it may operate
; to push these gentlemen to the fore as
leaders Of the two factions in the
great scramble for the Republican
presidential nomination.
Just now, however, this ShaW-Taf'
, division is the biggest thing of it,
) kind in sight, and we strongly incline
to the opinion that the American PEG
pie are with Secretary Taft.-Atlanti
Constitution.