The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1906-05-11
FOR A REVISION OF TARIFF
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT NAY
Fixture OF the Schedules Should Be
Determined by Needs Of Business
Interests OF the People.

/ Washington, Nay 5.-The word has
/ been quietly passed around that
] President Roosevelt intends to send a
/ special message to congress shortly
1 before the close OF the session declar-
/ ing il to be his opinion that there is
! a general demand and need for tar
I III revision and indicating II to be his
! purpose to call a special session i'm
I mediately after the close OF the next
short session for the consideration Of
tariff legislation
The president and the leaders Of the
party, 1t IS asserted, have come to
the conclusion that IL would be fatal
for the republican party to go into
the next national campaign on q
stand pat platform There is no
time TO revise the tariff at this session,
but outside Of that, il has never been
the intention to discuss the tariff at
this session on account OF the con-
greSsiOnal election this fall BY tax
ing up the question Of tariff legisla-
ton at a special session following the
next snort session. II IS believed, the
work Will be completed and matters
Quieted down before the national
campaign comes on.
Representative J. Adam Bede Of
Minnesota, intends to make q speech
on the tariff before the close Of the
session, proposing a unique way OF
elimina ting the tariff as q political is
sue be VIII suggest the adoption Of
an amendment 10 the constitution re-
decade by a permanent tariff com
mission, which shall sit at stated in
teTv5JiS to take testimony as to bust
ness COLdiuOns anG the needs Of the
country in the matter Of changes in
tariff schedules
1T IS a dangerous thing for any
political party TO attempt a revision
OF the tariff" said Mr. Bede in dis
cuSsing the matter. In my humble
judgment the party that reyises the
tariff rrF rr-fT1
b siafestIT-.I ia the fO.IaTinE election
Just now the United States, / be-
lieve, has passed the crest Of her
greatest era Of prosperity The lean
ssr Ses tie tariff viii be blamed iOr
causing the hard times By clever edu-
catiOnal work the republicans have
taught the people that prosperity is
solely the result OF a Eign protective
tariff Therefore II isn't safe for
political party to change or revise the
LarIm Just before hard times arrives
A9y ida Of the thing TO do is TO wait
until The hard times come and let
the people learn that a high protective
tariff cannot assure continuous and
uninterrupted prosperity and then il
will be safe TO take up the question
and enact legislation correcting exist
ing evils in the tariff schedules.
The wise thing TO do, in my jUdg-
ment. would be TO amend the cOnsti-
tuition and require a revision Of the
tariff schedules once every decade by
permanent tariff commission. Bust
ness could then adjust itself TO cOndi-
tons ald businessmen would have
plenty Of time to prepare for changes
in the tariff schedules as they would
know when they would be made. OF
course, the result would be to elimi-
nate the tariff as a political issue as
the fixture of the schedules would, or
at least should, be determined simply
by the needs of the business interests
and the people Of the country