The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1906-08-21
A Standpat Party.

President Roosevelt's letter to
Congressman Watson makes the Re-
publican a standpat party. Folks
who have yet a glimmer of hope
for the Iowa idea, or the Massa-
chusetts idea, or any other idea
that assumes faIibility of the pres
ent schedules of duties, may as well
take notice. He borrows from
Speaker Cannon, the prince of stand
Patters, when he says "a general
revision viii be undertaken
when the revision viii do
more good than harm" And, with
some reclIessness of things he has
written into messages and speeches
heretofore, he also says:
THE question of revising the
tariff stands wholly apart from the
question of dealing with the So
called trusts. The cry that
the problem can be met by any
changes in the tariff represents,
whether consciously or unconscious
", an effort 20 divert the public at
tention from the only method Of
taking effective action"
These are the significant, deter
minatiye things in the Presidents
letter. The nicely balanced series
of alterations with which the labor
question is handled, for instance,
has little meaning; doubtless it was
intended 10 be satisfactory to both
sides; maybe it viii. But what does
il mean:
We favor the organization of labor
as we favor the organization or capital
but on condition that organized lapot
and organized capital alike act IN a
spirit OF Justice and fair dealnB ana
with due regard TO both the letter ana
sDirit of the law We heartily favor
trades unions. and we recognize in them,
as in corporations, when properly con
Quoted, Indispensable instruments IN
the economic life OF the present day
INIT II either type of organization is
guilty OF abuse we 90 not propose 10
weaken the remedial powers OF the
Government TO deal with such abuse.
If that means anything it is that
we are for the good and against the
bad, and don't propose to have the
anti-injunction bill passed! Another
Endorsement of Mr.. Speaker.
But about the tariff. Either the
tariff is or is not the mother of
trusts. Some former utterances of
the President have strongly sug-
gested his conviction that the tariff
had a great deal to do with the
trusts. Whether he has changed
his mind is unimportant, The ques-
ton is whether the millions of peO-
pie who have long believed the tariff
responsible for IA large share Of
trust impositions are going TO ae-
cept this new view.
The Presidents letter is vigorous
as to things on which nobody dis
agrees. With accustomed earnest
ness he declares himself in favor
of virtue and opposed to vice
though doubtful whether enforce
ment of such a policy ought to be
permitted 30 interfere with BUSH
ness! He pays high tribute to the
patriotism and efficiency of Con-
gress, and takes full credit to his
party for legislation passed by prac-
tically unanimous vote or actually
indebted TO Democratic votes for its
passage; but that is legitimate
enough as politics goes.
But the standpat tariff policy
enunciated is really important. 1t
means a good deal. No revision in
this Administration; little chance
for it in the 1908 platform; frank
invitation to the Democrats to take
up the issue and do their worst
with il.
Well. it's a great opportunity for
Democracy. But Mr.. Bryan is about
due for a Government ownership
speech in New York. That's DemOc-
racy's luck.