Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1907-06-13

"O0Ao AAo0 SAPkSP piSoA
dents If they could only be elected,
which most Of them cannot. The theory
b industriously propagated in this
country that every boy is a possible
president, but as q matter of fact there
are not more than twelve or fifteen per-
sons now living who will ever reach
that distinction.
A House Divided.
1t is written "a house divided
against itself cannot stand" The Re
publican party is up against that prop
osition right now-especially 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 it will
not down at the bidding of any man
Or set Of men. Recently the American
Economist, the organ of the American
Protective Tariff 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 is taken
and accepted as the administration
candidate. This is not the first time
that the Economist has jumped on Sec
rotary Taft good and hard. 1t did so
when he issued his proclamation,
which, by the way, he did not live up
to, that he intended to buy Panama
canal supplies where he could buy
them the cheapest. AS he is the adj
ninistration candidate it may be fairly
assumed that the president shares his
tariff views. In reply to the Economist.
Mr.. Taft says:
My answer to the charges of the Amer
lean Protective league that I am a free
trader is to repeat / said last au-
tumn in a speech. I believe that since the
passage of the Dingley bill there has been
8 change in the business conditions Of the
country making it 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 Guilford
Court House, in North Carolina, hob
nobbing 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 we'll enough alone"
which is Numerically opposed to Sec
yofo ru Toft&s noc3t{or II ~oac without
saying that ex-Secretary Shaw is q
stand patter Of the most pronounced
order. Just what attitude Vice Presi-
dent Fairbanks will assume is not
known, but nj thing a be 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 a
stand patter, for he will probably con-
clude that one tariff revision Repub-
lican 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 nomina-
ton there is certain to be a bolt, pro
vided there are many Republicans who
believe, with the American Economist,
that he is a free trader. Now, / am
not the legal or political adviser Of the
stand patters, but l make bold to sug-
gest to them that if they do bolt Sec
rotary Taft's nomination and set up a
candidate Of their own their logical
candidate will be Hon. ]. T. McCleary
of Minnesota, ex-representative in con
gress, nov second assistant postmaster
general. He wants to raise the tariff.