The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-06-25
THE TARIFF NEXT.

President Roosevelt as a young man was a member of the American Free Trade League; he approved Of Ben wrote Benton's life: he promised to maintain the policy of Mckinley. the latest expression of which had been the famous Buffaio address in favor of reciprocity and enlarged markets; he spoke in 1909 in Minnesota in favor of a revision of the tariff system. Tn 1904. under the stress of the campaign, he came out as full blown protection- ist. Protection has never had a more narrow and ignorant defender than ne proved himself to be In that campaign. It may be added that throughout that year all the trusts rested In the pro- foundest repose after having forked
 over their contributions to the war chest of the Republican Party. In 1895 the President prepared message to Congress in favor of a revision of the Dingley law. The threatened storm. if 1t did not dismay caused him to listen to another prop osition that would keep him dramatic. ally before the country. Speaker can- non, who l. even more than Senator Allrich. the hea of the standpatters, was able to induce the President to withhold the tariff message, and instead to take up and push railway rate bill. It Is not to he supposed that the speaker was so unmannerly as to remi-: the President of the black in- gratitude he would show to the pro- tected interests. by expressing cordial sympathy. by accepting their money and their votes. and then to turn upon
 theya to rend and tear. It is more likely the speaker told him Repubii- can House would not be used as 1t could not without the speakers permis- sioa. in reopening the whole tarin que9-
 ton. DespairinR then. tho compact with rospact to the railway bill was en- tered into. That bill has kept the pub lie stage during the :, hole session up to l short while ago. and is now being
 kept in the hiding place of confer
 ance room. no one able [" surmiSe what its main provision will be when 1t is brought into the light again. Except this. perhaps, the railroads will have had a more potential band in the work of the conference comur.ttce than they
 had on the floor of the two houses. In
 the Senate, the President was thrown
 down in this contest and bespattered
 with mud. With great quickness and skill, if with ruthlessness of manner, he protected the packing house scandals into Congress and covered the confu- sion of his rout on the rate question
 That Is now exhausted on It. specta~u-
 lar side. Where will he turn next? He must have sensations of spectacular kind to live What Is there for him to exert upon his acknowledged power as an agitator We have heard Standard oil suggested. We do not believe 1t contains material that would suit his 1 genius as an agitator He has been l strongly tempted by the tariff at least twice before He knows as well as the l next man the enormous abuses of the
 system, abuses that make possible so
 many of the lesser evils he Is attacking l in detail will he be tempted once l more and can he resist If tempted? We mus. wait to find out One thing is
 certain, if he does assault the tariff | there will be a realignment of parties
 The Republican Party of today is
 founded on protectionism. Without protection the Party has nothing to
 stand on. Many an old protectionist l war horse is watching the White Hors se
 anxiously and in the next year will watch still more anxlously to discover
 where the next Roosevelt eruption will
 occur; to see whether he'will blow ur i through the Dingley or not.