Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1906-04-13
Revival Of the Tariff Issue.

remarkable strengthening OF the ieeiing IN
favor of tariff revision. In carefully dc
tated interview which he gave to the WASH
ington correspondent of The News on
Saturday, Mr.. John Sharp Williams, DEM
ocratic leader of the House, started out with
this declaration: "The tariff is going to be
revised. If the Republican party has sense
enough and courage enough to revise 1t on
right lines, it will be very material aid to
them in staying In power. They may not
stay even then, because it Is felt that there
is q check needed upon them In other direc'
tons. II they do not revise it on right lines,
some party will" Speaker Cannon has
given out his own views in one or two re-
cent utterances, and the gist Of them seems
to be that the only way to get tariff revision
from the Republicans is to elect Demo-
cratic House in 1905, and thus compel the
Republicans TO undertake the task OF reVs-
ing the tariff for fear of losing the Presi-
dency in 1908. Mr.. Cannon does not want
any revision at all, but is willing to admit
that If the people clamor for 1t loud enough
they will have to have it; and, as the only
way that you can make any disturbance
worth bothering about along this line Is to
send opposition members to the House oil
Representatives, "Uncle Joe" Is doubtless
| right in his diagnosis of the situation.
Whether, even under the circumstances
supposed, Republican revision OF the tariff
would amount 10 much may well be doubt
ed past experience certainly warns Us of
the extreme doubtiulness of any such pros.
pect. There is, however, one element In
the atmosphere of public opinion which is
highly conducive 10 the achievement OF
something worth while in the way OF tariff
reduction. The awakening of the people
to the prevalence of graft" in high places
and to Its deeply demoralizing influence has
direct bearing on the way in which pub
lie sentiment would receive the detailed ex-
posture OF the extortions of the tariff which
would be bound TO form the central part OF
the attack upon Dingleyism. just as In the
insurance cases it was not so much the
amount OF burden added to the policy hold
er as the amount of plumber carried off by
the insurance magnates that stirred the in
dlgnation Of the public. so in the matter OF
the tariff 1t will be not 30 much the added
burden on the consumer-great as that is
but the enormous amount Of loot conveyed
by the tariff into the pockets of mighty cap
tains of industry" that will be tho centre OF
public censure. The idea OF levying upon
consumers a tax OF 80 or 100 per cent. to
protect against foreign competition the max
era of articles which our industrial concerns
arc regularly exporting to foreign countries
In free competition with goods made in those
countries is preposterous; and it Is not only
preposterous but is sufficiently like plain,
everyday graft" to make it pretty hard
job for its defenders to establish any line OF
demaTcation that they can maintain In the
face of q hostile FIRE. The stand-patters are
following sound instinct In their position
the moment you don't stand pat you open
the door to criticism, and criticism means
condemnation. The insurance people were
all right as long as there were no questions
asked, but just as soon as they were put
where they had to answer the question
"What right had you to do thisf" they were
lost.
In spite OF past experience therefore, II is
just possible that something may come of
Republican tariff revision. And even II but
little comes of 1t, there is one consolation
that Democrats may have In biding their
time. Behind every prospect of genuine
change in our tariff system-whlch can be
brought about by the Democratic party
only-there turks q sort of nightmare fear.
Suppose that panic should again come In
its wake, what then2 OF course, If such
thing should happen, protection and pros.
perity-the highest kind of prohibitory pro.
tecllon and prosperity-would be indIssolu
bly, linked in the public mind for fifty years
to come. 10 spite of the fact that the 1878
panic, which came in the midst Of long
period OF unbroken Republican rule, ex-
tending before and after that date, and OF
the fact that that panic was every bit as
disastrous and Its depressing consequences
every bit as long in duration as the panic of
1898, probably four persons out of five are
under the impression to day that panics
come only with Democratic rule and tariff
reduction. What would happen If the big
panic came after Democratic success and
the carrying out of real reform of the tariff
may easily be imagined. 1t would be real
blessing to the country II the next panic
were to come along while the Republican
party is In full control of the Government
Baltimore NeDs.