The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1905-12-21
is sTANDpATIsM COMPLETE?

- lnNUPnl SOuF H.
Tariff revision is the big issue for
which everything else is substituted.
Anything to beat tariff revision is
the republican policy. No sacrifices
are too great. The machine protecting
the privileged interests will ruthlessly
slay any other pet policy in order to
retain the benefits of the Dingley sched-
ules To preserve the tariff in statu
quo even concessions to the presidents
rate regulation issue will be made.
The story of Mr.. Roosevets com
promise with Mr.. Cannon comes too
directly and too repeatedly to be doubt
ed. The agreement is that Mr. Cannon
will not use his power in the house to
defeat the rate regulation measure pro-
vided Mr.. Roosevelt will not disturb
the tariff.
For the second time the president has
directly and conspicuously yielded to
the tariff defenders and "subordinated'
the issue; the first occasion being his
compromise expressed in the famous
phrase in his message, "revision is not
remedy" The present subordination
of the issues should it succeed in keep
ing down tariff discussion during the
present term Of congress, will Indicate
that democracy is to inherit the sole
strength of prorevision sentiment for
political use in the next presidential
campaign. Apparently, revision has
permanently lost it's only champion of
consequence in the republican party.
The radical wing OF the party will un-
doubtedly defer to the president in the
matter for the sake OF his rate reform
and the only agitation of the tariff
proposition during the coming session
will be likely to be on the democratic
side. where it will be throttled as
quickly as possible by the majority.
But the issue to which all other issues
and policies of the republican party
defer is obviously large and growing.
Sooner OF later by it's own force it is
bound to be uppermost. It cannot be
forever weighed down. The palpable
treatment it receives serves only to
illustrate it's Importance and the value
Of Dingleyism to the privileged trusts
whose politicians control the senate
The fact that the tariff is literally a
''rObber tariff" becomes the more patent
from day to day. the protected interests
are tho palmer seen and the more
bitterly despised, and revision senti-
ment develops among the people.
The tariff issue comes as close to the
people as any in the forum today. Per-
haps it comes closer to being an issue
of the people than any. 1t has all the
essentials of a great popular issue
dividing in interest the mass of people
from narrow protected class whom the
people are learning to recognize. The
menace of special privilege, by which {
favored few enjoy discrimination at the
hands of legislation, for the price o
corruption, becomes more visible will
every reform, every investigation anc
exposure carried on in these times; ant
emphasis of the tariff revision issue i.
the inevitable result.
In one view of the case, it would bt
shrewd policy for the democrats il
congress to keep silent about the issue
in the coming session. So long as there
was chance of enlisting the aid of thu
Roosevelt and the radical wing of the
republican party there was hope of j;
split and even of actual revisory legis
lation. But with standpatism complete
that hope would be removed; agitation
would do no good and might ever
weaken the issue. On the other hant
there are those who will advise demo
Gratis to lose no opportunity of advocat
ing revision, il for no other purpose
than repeatedly to demonstrate the I'm
renting antagonism of the politica
regime which is co-partner with private
monopoly. st. Louis Republic.