Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-05-24
REVISION OF TARIFF
Opposed by Republican Leaders
as Impracticable.
LANNON'S EXTRAORDINARY VIEWS
The "COmmon Mind" of the People Is
Giving Much roubl to the RcDnb-
licans-Absurd Contention That to
Partially Revise the Dingley Sciieh-
uIe Would Destroy Home Industry.

licans-Absurd Contention That to
Partially Revise the Dingley Scl,eh-
ule Would Destroy Home Industry.
Speaker Cannon has been smoked
out Of his tariff hole and forced to give
a reason why the tariff should not be
revised. He declared in a private let
ter to 4 trust pottery manufacturer
protected from competition by the tar
if that "the desire for a change which
exists in the common mind will drive
the Republican party, il continued i'll
power, to Il tariff revision" He said
he did not want it, but it would have
to come lin the not distant future"
This letter, having been published,
compelled MI. Cannon to make a fur
ther statement Of his position. He
/ starts off by saying that the amend
ment Of a single schedule or a few
schedules is entirely impracticable."
In his Judgment nothing can be done
except by a complete revision of the
tariff" That, he says, "would halt
production, consumption and commerce
for at least twelve MONTHS" and the
result would "probably not be an i'm
proyement on existing law" "For the
| general interest Of the whole country
he thinks, the revision toward which
| the common mind" in its desire for
| change is driving the Republican party
"should be postponed as long as pos
sible.'
This disagreement Of the uncommon
mind of Speaker Cannon with that Of
the common people is nothing new with
Republican politicians. Their atilia-
ton with the corporations, trusts and
| combines obliterates any sympathy for
| the plundered people, but tariff revision
and other reforms will come, not
through the aid Of the unwilling Re
publican speaker of the house of rep
resentatives or his party associates,
but through the ardent reform efforts
| Of a new congress born of the desires
Of the Democracy and aided by indie
pendent voters, who are sick and tired
Of the plundering by the trusts and the
corruption and grating of the Repub-
lican party.
The attitude Of the Republican poll
tician toward the protective tariff is
like the heather before his idol-it is a
fetch to worship and too sacred to be
touched. But when the time Of stress
and political trouble comes and the
tariff idol has shown itself to be but a
brazen image and it's high priests have
exalted it to plumber the people, then
the voters will have none Of it and will
cast it down and break it.
The Republican contention that to re-
wise the tariff by reducing the rates on
hides or coal would destroy domestic
industry is too absurd for argument.
Would it ruin the crops or cause the
rain to cease or the sun to be darken-
ed? The beef trust would lose a tritle
Of it's profits, but no II be-
lieves the farmer or cattle grower
would lose a cent. Even the abnormal
ly high price for hides now being paid
has not increased the price of cattle,
for cattle are now selling cheaper than
for many years before, though the
| luIll plOlcCtCu DCCI uS 10 SClliiS a
high price for beef.
Take the iron and steel schedules and
abolish the tariff rates Oh the products
Of the steel trust and that giant cor
poration would still control the market
for its products, for the cost of trans
portation over seas would be protection
enough, and only inordinate profits
would be reduced. There is hardly a
schedule of the tariff that does not
shelter some trust or combine that in
all fairness to a long suffering people
does not require revision. The Repub-
licans refuse to NEEDLE with it. so this
duty must be i%ntrusted to the Demo
Gratis, who are pledged to a reasonable
reform that will prevent the trusts sell
ing cheaper abroad than here, and while
producing enough revenue to run the
government will reduce the cost of liv-
ing to something more in reason than
now.
Roosevelt and hughes.