Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1906-05-08
Tarin Revision.

Sneaker Cannon mas been smoked
out of his tariff hole and forced to
give reason why the tariff should not
be revised. He declared in a private
letter to a trust pottery manufactures,
protected from competition by the tar
if, that. the desire for a change
which exists in the common mind will
drive the Republican party, if contin-
ued in power, to a tariff revision" He
said he did not want it, but it would
have to come "in the not distant fu-
ture." This letter having been pub
lished. compelled Mr. Cannon to make
a further statement of his position. He
starts off by saying that the amend
ment of a single schedule, or few
schedules, is entirely impracticable."
In his judgment. nothing can be done
except by a complete revision Of the
tariff. That, ne says, would halt pro-
ductlon, consumption and commerce for
at least twelve months" and the re
suit would probably not be an i'm
provement on existing law" For the
general interest of the whole country"
he thinks the revision toward which
''the common mind" in its desire for
change is driving the Republican party,
'should be postponed as long as posi-
BILE"
This disagreement of the uncommon
mind of Speaker Cannon with that of
the common people is nothing new with
Republican politicians. Their affilia-
ton with the corporations, trusts and
combines obliterates any sympathy for
the plundered people But tariff revls-
lon and other reforms will come, not
through the aid of the unwilling Re
publican Speaker of the House of Rep
resentatives or his party associates,
but through the ardent reform efforts
OF a new Congress, born of the desires
of the Democracy and aided by indie
pendent voters, who are sick and tired
of the plundering of the trusts and the
corruption and grating Of the Repub-
lican party.
The attitude of the Republican poll
tician toward the protective tariff is
like the heather before his idol; it is
fetish to worship and too sacred to be
touched. But when the time of stress
and political trouble comes and the tar
iff idol has shown itself to be but a
exalted it to plumber the people, then
the voters will have none of it and
will cast It down and break it.
The Republican contention that to
revise the Tariff, by reducing the rates
on hides. or coal, would destroy do
nestle industry is too absurd for ar
gument. Would it ruin the crops or
cause the rain to cease or the sun to
be darkened? The Beef Trust would
lose trife of its enormous profits. but
no one believes the farmer or cattle
grower would lose cent. Even the
abnormally high price for hides now
being paid has not increased the price
of cattle for cattle are now selling
cheaper than for many years before. al
though the tariff protected Beef Trust
is getting a high price for beef.
Take the iron and steel SEIZED
ules and abolish the tariff rates on the
products of the Steel Trust and that
giant corporation would still control
the market for its products, for the
cost of transportation over seas would
be protection enough and only inOrdi-
nate profits would be reduced. There
is hardly a schedule of the tariff that
does not shelter some trust. or combine,
that in all fairness to a lOng-suffering
people does not require revision. The
Republicans refuse to NEEDLE with it.,
so this duty must be intrusted to the
Democrats, who are ple,.s to a rea-
sonable reform that will prevent the
trusts selling cheaper abroad than
here, and while producing enough rev
enue to run the government will re-
duce the cost OF living to something
more In reason than now.