Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1907-01-15
Revision Demanded.


Senator Cullom, of Illinois, who will
be reelected to the United States Sen
ate when the Legislature meets, de-
clares there is a general demand for
tariff revision. Senator Burrows, of
Michigan, and Senator Fulton, of Ore
gon, are reported to agree with Senator
Cullom that If tariff revision is to be
undertaken at all it should be at a
special session of the Congress to be
convened Immediately after the adj
journment Of the Fifty-ninth Congress
on March next. Those two standpat
Senators do not, however, agree with
Senator Cullom that there is any gen.
eral demand for tariff legislation, yet
if the question of revising the tariff
so that the protected trusts would be
compelled to reduce the price Of their
products was submitted TO the voters Of
Oregon and Michigan, there is no doubt
that a large majority would decide for
revision. AS it is now the people who
want tariff reform have no voice in
Congress, for those Republican mem
bers who believe that tariff reform is
necessary are so tied up by the rigid
rules of the House of Representatives
and the autocratic power of a stand
pat speaker that they have no oppor-
tunity of recording their tariff revision
attitude.
In the campaign Of 1908 the tariff
will be an important, if not the para
mount, issue, and the voters will have
a more direct opportunity of deciding
whether they are content to pay high
trust prices, so that they are expend
ing nearly 80 per cent more on the
cost Of their living than when the pres
ent tariff act was passed in 1897.
The tariff controversy with Germany
and Canada and other countries who
are determined to retaliate against our
extreme protection will come to head
next year and will open the eyes Of
many voters who have kept them shut
through partisan preferences. The
standpatters have declared that the
only revision they will stand for is to
revise the tariff rates higher, with a
provision that the present rates shall
be the minimum for those countries
that will allow our products to enter at
their minimum rates, or otherwise new
maximum rates will be imposed. Such
an amendment to our tariff law would
be deemed by Germany and Canada as
slap in the face and add fuel to the
flame of disagreement, and provoke
tariff war that would be disastrous to
the trade between the United States
and those countries.
1t is a very serious question, and
cannot be lodged as the domestic tar
if issue has been lodged by the Repub-
lican leaders by forcing other issues
to the front. The German government
feels that 1t was hoodwinked into
year and by agreeing not to enforce
their new tariff until June 80 next, for
which the United States made no re-
turn but the promise of reforming the
way in which the details of executing
the law on imports is carried out. Our
standpat Congress refused to carry out
the promises made by President Roose-
welt through the State Department,
and the German government naturally
feels aggrieved and will enforce their
maximum and prohibitive tariff against
American products unless concessions
are made.
The standpat statesmen will now
have to take the responsibility of see
ing the exports of our products to Ger
many, Canada and other countries ma
terially reduced, or be willing to take
from our protected monopoles part
of the protection they enjoy under the
Dingley tariff. The question is up to
them whether they will fish or cut bait,
and there is not much time in which to
decide which horn of the dilemma they
will take.