Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1906-05-24
N GETS IN LINE.
The Speaker Believes That Tariff Re
form Cannot Be Pre-
vented.

Whether Speaker Cannon Is a con-
vert TO tariff reform only for cam
paign purposes, or whether he has
really experienced a change of heart
we do not know. But it is certain
that he is beginning to feel the pres
sure. For w. E. Wells, president OF
the United States Potters' association,
has received a Letter from the speaker
in which he says:
81 am satisfied that there will be no
tariff revision this congress, but 1t
goes without saying that the desire
for a change which exists in the coun-
try mind will drive the Republican
party, if continued in power, to a tarlf
revision. | do not want it, but it Will
come in the not distant future"
Of course, says the Indianapolis
News Qnd.) this is merely an express
sion of belief that the reform can not
be prevented. The speaker does not
pledge himself to it-much less does
he attempt to pledge his party. IL
looks very much as though he were
trying to eliminate the tariff from h
congressional campaign by making 1t
appear that a Republican victory a
not stop revision. "If continued in
power" he says, the party will be
driven to tariff revision. This is as
much as to say that a vote for a Re
publican candidate will not be a vote
against tariff revision, for that Is
bound to come.
Nat uyo La1i1po fbat thiC declaration
Of Mr.. Cannon means something more
than this. He must know how strong
the pressure is for action on the tariff,
and how determined the Republican
revisers are. For the pressure is eX-
erted directly against him and mis-
rules committee, and it Is to him that
the Republican revisers have appealed
over and over again. The speaker Is a
man of ability and shrewdness. Prob
ably there is no one at Washington
more skilled in reading the public Will
He knows what the people are think
ing about, and he is interested in in
terpreting their wishes correctly. Sc
we conclude that this letter indicates
hat the speaker mas made up his
mind that the stand-paX+ers will have
TO give way Gin the nos distant fu-
ture," will have to submittt2 the will
of the people. As the speakeS is the
/ leader of the stand-patters his words
will have great weight. ~~
Only a few days ago the Hon. Fred
Lands told us that the tariff really
never could be reformed, because we
never could have a perfect tariff, and
also because when We got the new one
conditions would have changed so as
r to make it practically obsolete the
9 very moment it went into effect, After
our representative had taken this
q Ajax-like stand in behalf of the infal,
libility of Dingleyism, it was mos
g cruel in the speaker to make the dec.
s laration that the tariff would have tt
9 be revised "in the not distant future.
The speaker is right. Present condi
tons can not continue permanently
We shall aave to lower our tariff wal
). very considerably. Free raw material
our manufacturers must have. Gu
, farmers must have wider markets an,
-. a better chance in the markets the,
= now have.
r, But the important thing is that w
:, now have the first break in the stand
- pat forces. And the break is at tn
= very head of the column. The peopl
;. should continue to apply the pressure
II and to apply it the more strongly a
:, the opposition seems to yield. MI
Cannon admits that he has beef
- forced into his present position. Speak
:, ing of the reform he says: Il do no
want it, but 1t will come in the no
), distant future" He is no more of
!. tariff reformer than he ever was. H
- simply gets in line.