The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-11-14
LINING UP FOR 1903.
OUTLOOK FOR NEXT YEARS
PRESIDENTIAL NOMINATION.
President RoOsevelt's Attitude
the Tariff Question Likely to Ex-
ercise Strong Influence Upon the
National Republican Convention.

The practical instructing of the two
delegates from one of the Michigan dis
tricts to the next Republican National
Convention admonishes US that from
now on we may expect gradual lining
up of the forces that will contend for
supremacy, first In the convention and
afterward in the National campaign
Of 1908. The reports from the Nation
III capital are at present conflicting
but interesting. 1t is said that tie
men who conducted the last campaign
will endeavor to control and dominate
the next campaign, while opposed will
be found the Congressional Committee
and the so-called administration
Senators.
But these lines cannot be distinctly
drawn, for Chairman Sherman has an
nounced himself as unequivocally for
the Presidents denomination, and Mr..
CortelyOu is giving no Ostensible COM
fort to the supporters of Mr.. Taft 1t
seems more likely, then, that the two
contending forces at the National con-
vention will be divided on the issue of
tariff revision. There is no doubt
where Mr. Taft stands, nor is there
any doubt where Mr.. Cannon, Mr.
Fairbanks or Mr.. Knox stands. We
may go further and say there Is no
doubt, or should be none. as to where
the President stands. To be sure he
has not said much about the tariff
during the last few years, but his ut
terances of three or four years ago
are as true today as when spoken. At
Logansport. Ind, in September, 1902,
the President said
'At all hazards, and no matter what
else is sought for or accomplished by
changes of the tariff, the American
workingman must be protected in his
standard Of wages-that is, In his
standard of living-and must be Sc
cured the fullest opportunity OF en-
ployment."
Two months later, at the Union
League Club banquet, Philadelphia.
Nov. %, 1902, he said:
NO nation has ever prospered as
we are prospecting now, and we must
see to 1t that by our folly we do not
mar this prosperity"
In his famous speech at Minneapo-
lis, April 4, 1908, the President gave
much attention to the tariff. We quote
several paragraphs, as follows:
1--WE have prospered marvelously at
home AS a nation we stand in the
very forefront Of the giant information
al competition of the day. We cannot
afford. by any freak or folly, to forfeit
the position to which we have thus tri-
umphantly attained.
The fact that a change of a given
rate Of duty may be thought desirable
does not settle the question whether
it is advisable to make the change inn
mediately.
IF q tariff law has on the whole
worked well, and If business has pros
pered under it and is prospecting, it
may be better to endure some incon-
venience and inequalities for a time
than by making changes to risk caus-
ing disturbances and perhaps paralysis
in the industries and business of the
country.
The present phenomenal prosperity
has been won under q tariff which
was made to protect the interests of
The American producer, business man,
wage worker and farmer alike.
"If necessary for our welfare, then,
OF course, Congress must consider the
question of changing the laws as a
whole or changing any given rates of
duty, but we must remember that
whenever even q single schedule is con-
sidered some interests will appear to
demand change In almost every
schedule I'm the law; and when it
comes to upsetting the schedules gen.
orally the effect upon the business in
terests Of the country would be ruin
ous."
For three years the President stood
pat on these sentiments, giving forth
no other opinion or suggestion, In
either message or speech; but last
year, during the Congressional cam
paign. he again fearlessly gave to the
country his tariff views In q letter to
Representative Watson, from which
we quote as follows:
I'VE stand unequivocally for a pro-
tective tariff. and we feel that the
phenomenal industrial prosperity
which we are now enjoying is not
lightly to be jeopardized; for it would
De To the last degree foolish to secure
here and there small benefit at the
But whenever given rate or schedule
becomes evidently disadvantageous TO
the nation, because of the changes
which go on from year to year In our
change this rate or schedule without
90 much dislocation of the system, 1t,
will be done; while general revision
of the rates and schedules will be un-
dertaken whenever 1t shall appear to
the sober business sense of our people
that, on the whole, the benefits to be
derived from making such charges will
outweigh the disadvantages; that is
when the revision will do more good
than harm.
Let the add one word Of caution,
however. The question of revising the
tariff stands wholly apart from the
question of dealing with the so-called
'trusts'-that is, with the control of
monopolies and with the supervision Of
great wealth In business, especially In
corporate form. The only way In
which 1t is possible to deal with those
trusts and monopolies and this great
corporate wealth is by action along the
line of the laws enacted by tie pres