Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1906-06-08
SECRETARY
SHAW TALKS
Says the Republican Party 10 Standing
Pat on the Proposition Of Tariff
Revision.
NO DIVISION IN PARTY RANKS
Protection Cannot be Made a Local Is
sue-Revision Not Vet De-
sired.


here today Leslie M. Shaw, secretary
, of the treasury. said in part:
have no desire to disguise the fact
that in few localities there is now
some restlessness on the tariff ques-
ton. The American people are like
every other people; they grow restless
under prosperity and well nigh desper-
ate under adversely. A friend said in
my office the other day that We were
sure of victory this year and two years
from now if prosperity continued. for
said he, the American people have
never gone back on prosperity. How
short his memory! Our first and great.
est defeat was traceable solely to the
universal prosperity existing in the
early nineties. Whether we are suffi
GENTLY prosperous now to work our
undoing l am not certain. We were
hope is high that we can stand few
years more of it. If it continues, how.
ever, if the price OF farm products
shall advance yet higher, if wages
shall advance correspondingly. if new
factories are built, if business thrives,
if deposits in the bank increase, if men
get rich, then SO certain as history re-
peats itself the impression wifi prevail
that the inequalities of life are occa-
stoned by Republican policies, and the
American people will again seek to
bring all to the same standard by the
Endorsement of the principles of our
political opponents.
admit that there is nothing that
will so equalize the income of Ameri-
can citizens as the application of the
| principles of the Democratic party 70
our economic and industrial affairs.
Only amid disaster and universal ruin
will the condition of the American peo-
pie become even approximately iden.
teal
The standpatters.
In some localities the term stand.
patter" is Opprobrious. What is a
'standpatter?" | have never witnessed
even the playing of the game whence
the term is derived, but | do not plead
such innocency as not to understand
what is meant by it. Dear old Mr.. Han
ma first employed it in it's political sig
niticance. 1t was in 1902 when he first
uttered the words, 81 stand pat" What
did he mean? Did he mean that the
tariff should never be revised? Ger
tainly not. Looking at our hand. il
you please, noting what We held, with
full comprehension of what the resul,
Of the game would be, he said, In the
face of what we now hold, stand pat.
He did not even intimate that We were
likely to hold the same cards each
year and forever. He did not say that
the tariff should never be revised, mol
did he intimate that it might not be
wise to revise it five years hence Oh
even one year hence. Speaking in
the present tense he said, stand pat.
Twelve months later he sounded the
slogan, Let well enough alone" Look
ing at conditions, seeing every factory
running overtime, observing the farm
er selling his produce higher than ever
before, knowing that the American
people were consuming IS per cent
more wheat per capita than in 1894
knowing conditions he said. Let well
enough alone He did not even init
mate that these conditions would con
tinue forever. He did not say that the
tariff should not be revised at any tins
in the future, or that it might not be
wise to revise it in the early future
But why this criticism of standpat
ters? Let us avoid any division in GU
own ranks. The Republican party j
to impeach the party as a party? o
course the opposition party does. The
always do. Does any one else? TIL
last national convention did not prom
Use revision. The president has not az
vised revision. The president ha
made no speech at any place or at an
time which justifies the inference tha
he favOrs immediate revision. TIL
ways and means committee of congress
has reported no revision bill. The r.
publican congressional caucus has ne
recommended revision. l repeat, tn
Republican party is standing pat, an
the Republican who in the past ha
sought to convict his party of neglec
ing the best interests of the peopl
: has TO that extent embarrassed tn
8 coming election. l am not discussin
J, the merits. These local revisionist
i for the sake of local interests ma
have been correct. They certainl
should not be asked to apologize, fo
q they have meant well, but they are !!
no position to exact an apology froI
those who are and who have been i
J, harmony with the last national pla
form, with the speeches and message
of the president, and with the actio
Of congress.
Coming Fall Campaign.
: The Democratic leaders purpose t
wage the forthcoming congressiona
campaign upon the issue presented b
= the Republican revisionists, and the
are certain to quote the utterance
of every leading Republican who ha