The Grenada sentinel., 1907-03-09
MORE FOR REVISION
GOOD REPUBLICANS PLEAD FOR
TARIFF ACTION.
Governor Of Wisconsin the Latest to
Point Out to His Party the Neces-
sity for Acticn Concerning
Iniquitous Rates.

The Republican governor of Wis
consin adds his voice to the chorus
for revision of the tariff. He says:
1.-The people demand action. The
business of the country demands re-
vision. The only ones who appear to
be deaf and blind in the matter are
the neil holding office at the national
capital"
Senator Spooner and Senator La
Toilette have also declared for tarin
revision, and other states have been
heard from. In spite of this Republi-
can revolt against 'the men holding
office at the national capital there is
undoubtedly an agreement between
the speaker and the president that no
tariff legislation shall be considered.
1t is perhaps unkind to rub the
sore spots on the grand old protection
ist party, but as such good Republl
cans as those above quoted believe
that a dose of tariff revision must be
at once taken for the sake of its fu-
ture health, it is very natural for
Democrats in neighbOrly way to call
in and give their advice also. The
trouble is that the two factions of Re-
publcans can't get together for tariff
revision, for like oil and water, they
won't mix. There is even such diff
ference of opinion about the Philip
pine tariff bill that it is very doubtful
if it will come to vote, and yet that
nr{ Aplx q
reduction of the D!ngley tariff rates on
imports from the Philippines to 25 per
cent instead of rs per cent, as at
present. The compromise offered by
Secretary Taft to split the difference
and make the rate so per cent. of the
Dingley rates is considered heresy by
the stand-pat faction. 1t would inter-
fere with their friends of the tobacco
and sugar trusts and, of course, the
general prosperity of the American
and Filipino people is nothing when
such great trust interests are at stake.
Thus the deaf and blind men at the
national capital play with the interests
Of 100,o0000 of people.
But leavinS the poor Filipino to the
callous mercy of his Republican mas
ters, it benooves us Anglo-SaxOn free
men to register our protest against
continuing to pay exorbitant profits to
the trusts by reason of trust products
being protected from competition.
There are over SO articles Of common
use that cost the consumers nearly
so per cent. more than necessary be-
cause they are so highly taxed in the
tariff. On some of these articles the
rate is 100 per cent. and over, and
none are taxed less than so per cent,
and, as the result shows, these rates
are virtually prohibitive, for but little
or any of these products are imported.
The trusts and combines, so carefully
nursed by this tariff protection, are
thus enabled to add to the price their
goods should be sold for the still
greater profit that similar goods would
have to pay as tariff tax, if imported.
The Republican majority in con-
gress refuses to revise these glaring
inequalities of the tariff law, although
it would not disturb the amount of
revenue produced, and if a five or ten
per cent tariff tax was retained on
these articles it would greatly add to
the revenue, for some would be i'm
ported, whereas now there is virtually
none imported Such imports would
compel the trusts to reduce their
prices or lose the sale of their prod |
ucts to their competitors. 1t is GER |
tain that the present congress will do |
nothing to relieve this trust plunder- |
ing, and as the protected industries |
were lavish contributors to the Repub- |
lican campaign fund at the last elec |
ton, there is no doubt that a compact |
was made that those Republican con-
gressmen who were furnished with |
funds, either directly or
their committees, are in honor
bound to stand by the protected inter
ests who furnished the money. To
show their good faith they will all
vote for Cannon for speaker of the
next congress, for he is their stand
pat lord and master.
A Standpat Boom.