Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1907-12-21
What to Expect From Congress.

be disappointed. No legislative body
ever accomplishes as much as 1t ought,
because private and party interests are
forever interfering with measures for
the public good. Local advantage al
most invariably takes precedence over
the general welfare because upon what
they can do for their own constituents
at the expense of the nation depends in
large measure the political prosperity
of the members Men of such caliber
that they can ignore petty local dis
fractions and work unhappered for the
country which employs them are ex-
ceedingly. rare, even in the senate. In
the lower, house there is Mr.. Burton.
Mr.. Cannon also might do it if he liked,
but of him may be said with truth what
Goldsmith falsely said of Burke, that
he has narrowed his mind and to party
given up what was meant for mankind.
Congress ought to begin decisive ac-
ton this winter looking to the revision
of the tariff downward but in all prob
ability nothing of the sort will be done;
and the reason for inaction will be the
fear of losing votes in the approaching
presidential election. This fear is
groundless. There is no doubt what
ever that the republican party would be
enormously strengthened with the
masses of the people were the leaders
to fulfill the universal desire for relief
from the exactions of the Dingley tariff.
But, strange as it may seem, political
leaders who have resided long in Wash
ington are the last men in the country
to feel correctly the currents of public
opinion. They acquire the habit of act
ting upon general rules and gauging the
popular mind by set formulas. These
rules and formulas are sometimes cor
rect, but for the most part they are
wrong, and this is the reason why SO
few of our statesmen either acquire
much influence or hold for great while
the little they do .scrape together.
They lack the instinct which moves in
harmony with the national mind. Pres
emily the country outsteps them. They
are left behind and heard of no more.
Most of our statesmen are showing by
their reluctance to take action upon the
tariff that they lack precisely this in
stinctive feeling for what the people
desire. If the republican party loses
the next presidential election the lead
ers may thank in large part their fatu-
our clinging to the monstrous wrongs of
Dingleyisnl. The people are tired of
being exploited for the benefit of the
trusts. They are tired of paying SIC, to
the monopolies for the sake of passing
81 into the federal treasury. \
If nothing should be done for the re-
lief of the Philippines from the iniquitv
of the tariff which is destroying their
industries, it will be because the lead
ers of congress cannot bear the thought |
OF admitting an. 'entereng wedge" into
the sacred vitals of Dingleyistn. The
very word reduction" is bugaboo to
the orthodox sthndpatter. Once reduc-
ton is begun, who knows where it will |
stop? 1t might even touch ones own
particular graft, thing never to be
permitted by a congressman who knows
his business. Mutual protection is the
watchword of all gratis which fatten
upon the excessive exactions of the
tariff. United they stand; divided thew
might fall. Hence they are not very
likely to divide, and the paper trust,
among the rest, will probably pass
through the ordeal of the Sixtieth con-
gress blooming like the roses of Sharon.
This is one of the most detestable Of
all the trusts, and it is doubly protected;
first by the tariff on paper and then by
that on wood fit for pulp. 1t not only
robs tie people but it is doing as much
as any other agency to destroy our for
ests. Still, if the tariff on pulp wood,
and white paper were removed, the
land knows what would happen; per-
haps that on steel might go next and
American consumers would be buying
steel rails as cheap as the trust sells
them in Canada and England. The
American consumer must never be
psnpered in this way. 1t would de-
stvoy his incentive to effort. It would /
pauperize him.
Because of the mutual dependence Of
the gratis upon one another it us as
likely as not that the parcels post and
postal savings bank bills, which Mr..
Meyer recommends and backs by rea-
sons SO cogent, will receive no attention
from congress this winter Party EXT