The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1906-05-08

Not many days ago Speaker Cannon,
who is opposed to any reduction of the
present high tariff rates, was quoted
as telling a Republican member that
the people might force it after awhile.
but that the Republican party ought
to stand pat" Early in his admins
t%ration, Mr.. Roosevelt gave out some
utterances that indicated his intention
to urge a revision of some tariff sched-
ules. 1t is believed in Washington
that he mad this trade" with Speak
er Cannon; hat the President would
let all tariff revision remain in abey-
ance if the Speaker would put through
the Hepburn rate bill. However that
may be, the President has said Moth
inG about tariff revision and Mr.. Can
non has passed the rate bill through
the House and effectually strangled
any tariff revision legislation this ses-
sion.
The Saturday Evening Post, in It's
issue of May 5th. congresses into short
space more wisdom upon the present
situation With reference to the tariff
than all the public leaders have been
able to give to the people in all their
discussion. The editorial is so perfect
that we print it here in full:
The Real Stand-Pat Attitude.
"Chairnan Payne, of the House
Ways and Means Committee h~eroically
rounds out, tops and cOrniceS the
Stand-pat tariff attitude. SO that we
now see 1t as a structure not only
noble and harmonious in all its lines,
hllt NEnll nnJ1I,,lntn 20 ,J,n Fn.
ages. Speaker Canno laid the ample
foundation by showing that it was
quite out of the question to ask tariff
legislation of q Congress which had
differentiation and other weighty mat
ters on its hands. Later, Secretary
Shaw pointed out that the only proper
time to revise duties was Immediately
after Il new administration came in
which. Of course, meant that the sub.
Ject coul not be taken up before 1903.
Now comes Mr.. Payne to warn us that
tariff legislation must not be thought
of until there is a concurrent view by
a majority of the party in power and
Congress is in that calm. judicial
frame of mind 50 necessary in the
preparation of q tariff act
This seems to be about as concIu-
sive as possible. We have only the
experience of q century or so to guide
US; but in that period Congress has
ever fallen dismaIly short of getting
itself into a calm, judicial frame of
mind When the tariff came up. On
the contrary. every recurrence of that
topic appears to nave made it look
more like a convention of Kilkenny
cats. Nor is the outlook for a CON
current view of tariff revision much
more hopeful. For of the
House, the party in power it must
DE remembered. consists of the PreSi-
don't tho Sneaker Mr. I9Jna and Mr.
DalzelI. Not one of them will oncur
Let us imagine the assembling of the
one : ndr = and-fiftieth Congress.
with the following colloQuy: The
Speaker of the House Go the chair
man of the Ways and Means Commit
tae): Are YOU concurrent this morn
ing2' The Chairman: L am not con-
current The Speaker: Are you calm !? |
Are you %judicial?' The Chairman
CATER earnestly searching his mind
4 am not calm and judicial.
The Speaker: Then. clearly. we cam
SION There is only one slight cloud
in this bright blue sky. The people
may become concurrent, and put the
Democratic party in power"
The man who thinks there will be
any reduction of the tariff tax for
the benefit of the people by the Re
pubIlCoH pbINS - IoINllS ~ III Ill
irridescent dream. There are, of
course. Republicans who do not be-
Ions to the trusts and who wish a fair
reduction of the tariff on the lines
laid down by Henry Clay. But they
have no influence when they are OPP
posed by the protected interests. If
Mr.. Roosevelt and every member OF,
his Cabinet and every appointee should
throw themselves in the scales in ia
NOr of tariff reduction, they could &C
complish nothing against the powerful
forces that dominate the Republican,
Congress. The President can do many
things, but the protected interests own
the men who control fiscal legislation.
The Post is right in saying that there
is only one hope of securing tariff rel
Vision-'the people may become con-
current. and put the Democratic party
in power |