The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-06-15
A House Divided.

lt Is written "A house divided
against Itself cannot stand" The Re.
publican party is up against that prop
osition right now--espeelally on the
tariff question. OF course they are all
split up as TO men and other measures,
but the tariff Is the question which Is
giving them most trouble, and 1t will
not down at the bidding OF any man
or set Of men. Recently the American
Economist, the organ of the American
Protective Tarlff league, denounced
Mr. Secretary Taft as a rank free trad
er, yet he is one of the most prom
inent candidates for the Republican
nomination for president and is backed
apparently by the whole force of the
administration. In fact he il taken
and accepted as the administration
candidate. This is not the first time
that tile Economist has jumped on Sec
retary Taft good and hard. 1t did so
when he issued his proclamation,
which, by the way, he did not live up
20, that he intended TO buy Panama
canal supplies where he could buy
them the cheapest As he Is the ad.
assumed that the president shares his
tariff views. In reply to the Economist,
hr. Tart says;
My answer TO the charges OF the Amer
fcan Protective league that 1 am a free
trader IL to repeat what / said last au-
tumn in q speech. j believe that since the
paaAage Of the Dineley bill there has been
q change in the business conditions OF the
country making Il wise and Just to revise
the schedules. Sentiment In favor of a re-
vision OF the tariff Is growing in the Re-
publican party, and In the near future the
members OF the party doubtless will be
able to agree on a reasonable plan.
On the other hand, Mr.. Speaker Can.
non, who has recently been visiting
his birthplace down close to Gullford
Court House, In North Carolina, hob
nObbirg with the people Of that vicin-
ity, especially the Quakers, OF whom
he Is one, has been repeating as his
presidential slogan Marcus A. Hanna's
old war cry, Let well enough alone"
which Is Numerically opposed to Sec
retary Taft's position. 1t goes without
saying that eX-Secretary Shaw is
stand patter or the most pronounced
order. Just what attitude Vice Presl-
dent Fairbanks will assume Is not
known, but one thing can he predicted
with something approximating certain
ty, and that is that Secretary Taft's
square toed declaration In favor of
tariff revision will cause Senator For
aker TO take advanced ground as
stand patter, for he will probably con
clude that one tariff revision Repub-
liean Ohio candidate is enough. So 1t
may be concluded, and not unnatural
ly that the question of tariff revision
Will loom large and pOrtentous in the
next Republican national convention.
Should Secretary Taft bag the nomlna-
tton there Is certain to be a bolt, pro-
vlded there are many Republicans who
believe, with the American Economist,
that he is free trader Now, ! am
moi the legal or political adviser Of the
stand patters, but make bold 10 sug-
Rest to them that II they do bolt Sec
rethry Tatt's nomination and set up a
candidate OF their own their logical
candidate will be Hon. J. r. McCleary
OF Minnesota, ex-representatlye IN con.
gress now second assistant postmaster
general. He wants To raise the tariff