The Washington herald., 1907-09-07
Tariff postponers." +"

Mr.. Bryan's designation Of Secretary
Taft as the great postponer' is rather
apt. 50 FAR as the tariff question is con-
cerned. It will be recalled that a year
ago Mr.. Taft was in favor Of immediate
revision Of the tariff. In bis Columbus
speech, however. he entered the ranks Of
the postpOners by adopting the idea that
tariff legislation on the eve of q Presi-
Dental election would be iDexpedient for
political and industrial reasons. This idea
has become familiar by long usage. 1t
has been trotted out on the eve of every
Presidential election for a dozen years
Its recent resuscitation is thus described
In the September number Of American
Industries. the organ Of the National As
sociation Of Manufacturers:
Just before the adjournment Of the last ses-
sion of the' Fiftyninth Congress the Republicans,
after many secret conferences produced a policy
with reference to the tariff which an almost
exact duplication Of that which vas adopted just
before the national convention in Chicago in l9oi
This was decision that Congress should do moth
irg that the Republican national convention should
pass a resolution declaring in favor Of the revision
Of the tariff by It's friends when the opporiune
time should come and IF political oyigencies re-
Quirod IT, a definite promise Ct revision should be
made"
President Roosevelt assented to this
programme. but only in a tentative way.
says American Industries, which is not
at ali sure that the President viii keep
silence on the tariff during the coming
session OF Congress. But as Mr.. Taft is
the official spokesman of the administra-
tion, it may be assumed that his role of
postponer is approved by his chief Not
wlthstanding this apparently reasonable
assumption, American INDUSTRIES predicts
that when the President returns 10
Washington early in October he will begin
| to consult with members of Congress and
ask them to weigh carefully the chances
Of defeat for the party in case it should
once more go before the people at a na-
! tional election with mere promise Of
/ revision" At all events, Mr.. Roosevelt
viii be strongly advised by the National
/ Association Of Manufacturers to recon-
mend the, creation OF tariff commission
as he did in his message of 1902, with a
view to removing the actual preparation
Of schedules from the arena of political
/ debate.
Meantime, what is the Democratic party
/ doing TO revivify the tariff as party
issue? Gen. Grosvenor, from the safe van
tage Of d transatlantic observer, remarks
that the Democratic party IS committed
to protection. and there Is some evidence
that the leaders Of that party are not any
more anxious to stir the troubled waters
OF the tariff question than are the Re
publicans. Mr.. Bryan carefully avoids
/ announcing positive tariT programme,
and conservative Democrats like Senators
Daniel and Bacon speak Of revising the
tariff in such a way as not to disturb ex-
isting industries, practically setting them
selves down as mild protectonists. Henry
N. Whitney is making a campaign fol
the Democratic gubernatorial nomination
in Massachusetts on a platform Of tariff
revision substantially lndlstinguishabls
from that Of Secretary Taft. II is hardIy
too much TO say that the practical poll
ticians Of both parties would be only toe
glad to postpone tariff revision. II they
could. Happily. they viii not be given Z
chance after the next Presidential cleo
ton. The trick OF 1904 cannot be pIayeC
again by the G. o. 2.