Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-08-23
STILL STANDING PAT.

SILL STANDING PAT.
On account of misrepresentation
PRESIDENT Roosevelt periodically has
10 make known his position on the
tariff question, and each time he is
found to be standing pat Efforts
time and again have been made to link
the President with the revision agita-
ton and then he feels 1t encumbent
upon himself to speak. The misrepre-
sensation subsidies for time and then
1t breaks out again with renewed vigor
that President Roosevelt is in SYM
conference at Oyster Bay when it was
announced that the campaign of the
republican party would be made on
the stand pat program, there were
those who insisted upon waiting to
hear what the President had to say
They have heard.
In his letter to Congressman Watson
OF Indiana he states his position in an
unmistakable manner. eve stand
unequivocally for the protective tariff
and we feel that the phenomenal in
dustry and prosperity which we now
enjoy is not likely to be jeopardized,
for 1t would be to the last degree fool
ish to secure here and there q small
benefit at cost of general business
depression"
There is nothing new about that
He has said 1t time after time, on the
stump and in his message to congress.
But those who desire to gain stand
ing for their tariff ripping ideas have
continued to link his name with the
idea" and he Is compelled to reiterate
his former statements.
"But whenever rate becomes evil
IDENTIFY Instantaneous to the nation
because Of changes that go on from
year to year in our conditions, and
where it is feasible to change this rate
or schedule without too much disloca-
ton of system, it will be done, while
general revision of rates and sched-
ules will be undertaken when 1t shall
appear to the good business sense of
our people that on the whole the bene-
fits TO be derived from making such
changes will outweigh the disadvan-
tages; that is when the revision will
do more good than HARM" he says.
What better guarantee is there that
the people are not going to be
robbed by the Dingley law. In
/
| ticular rate it is presumed that he re.
fers tc cases similar to that of the re-
moval of the duty on coal, when the
and no competition is going to be
brought that will shut down any of our
industries or curtail the prices of farm
products In fact it must be under
the circumstances of practically the
unanimous consent of the people and
a guarantee that the producer is not
to be damaged.
Another repetition Is that the trusts
and the tariff are to be dealt with
separately. This statement has been
embodied In his messages, but on &C
count of the democrats persisting in
the statements that the tariff is shelf
ering the monopoies that are robbing
the people and that in order to reach
the robbers the schedules must be re-
vised, he speaks again to let the peo-
pie know that that Is no part Of his
plan Of campaign against the combina-
ton of capital.
In dealing with this he says, LET
me add one word OF caution. The
question Of the revision OF the tariff
stands wholly apart from the question
Of dealing with the so-called trusts.
The only way in which 1t is possible to
deal with those trusts and monopolies
and this great wealth is by action
along the line Of laws enacted by the
present congress and its Immediate
predecessors. The cry that the pro-
blem can be met by any changes In
tariff represents, whether consciously
OF unconsciously, an effort to divert
the public attention from the only
method of taking effective action"
This leaves on dry ground without
drop of water to float them, the de-
mocrats and the mugwumps who have
been claiming that Roosevelt stood
with them in their cry for revision
for the purpose of hitting the trusts.
There was no ground for their saying
1t before, as not line from speech
or word from mouth could be quoted
in support of it. 1t was just peddled
for the purpose of giving tone to their
tariff ripping ideas. This will not end
it, however. When they think enough
time has elapsed, probably after the
coming election, and after the Presi-
dent has delivered his message to con-
gress, they will start 1t again. But
! the only result will be that he will
speak again.