The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1908-11-20
TARIFF REVISION
FIGHT WILL Be
VERY HOT =.
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT AND MR..
TAFT ARE ON ONE SIDE OF
CONTEST AND 5ENEF lclARlEs
oNsoTHER.

CHICAGO Nov. l9.-Walter Well
man wires the Record-Herald from
! Wa hington as follows:
TGriff revision for the people or for
the special interests is the creates;
question now before congress. Pres
ident Roosevelt, President-to.be Taft
and public opinion are on one side. tns
selfish beneiiciaries OF the tarn OH
the other The latter apparently nave
with them the speaker of the house oi
representatives the ways and means
com mittee and the controlling OIL
garchy In the senate. We thus have
before us the prospect OF a merry Wa:
between the progressiVes and the
stand-patters OF the Republican party.
with the outcome in great doubt.
President Roosevelt, has written a
letter which, read between the lines,
as IL was intended 10 be, indicates
clearly enough where he stands. Al
vim H. Sanders, OF Chicago, president
OF the American Reciprocal Tarin
league, wrote the president he had
heard the high tsriff advocates intend
session of congress which comes 10
an end March T. In reply the pTes,-
dent says he has not heard or any
such plan and adds. 81 entirely agree
with you that such course would De
improper and will not consent to
IT,"
AS a matter Of fact there had been
talk OF rushing through a revision
bill" without waiting for the special
session which President Taft Is TO
call The plan was TO give the spe-
cial interests what they wanted and
have ii over with as quickly as pos
sible In support of\this plan the
argument was used that talk OF re-
vision would produce uncertainty and
act as a deterrent upon business ac-
tivity. But this idea has been
abandoned. No one now seriously
talks OF revision this winter and moth
ing is to be attempted at the short
session excepting preparation for the
work TO be done at the extraordinary
session in the spring. Railroading
through revision of the interests
was little too much and even with
out the opposition of President Roose-
welt II Is probable the scheme would
have fallen down of its own weight
What President Roosevelt means In
his letter 10 Mr.. Sanders is that Mr..
Taft was elected In part on a tariff
revision issue: that In the public
mind there is belief the new presi-
dent stands for revision for the whole
people--for the consumer as well as
for the producers and manufacturers:
that there is general faith President
Taft will do everything in his power
TO realize the popular expectation.
Such being the case, President Roose-
Welt means that no snap Judgment will
be permitted; that revision must &c
over TO the Taft administration elect
ed on that issue: that the tariff must
be deliberately and carefully revised
and that the incoming president shall
have ample opportunity 10 redeem his
pledges and to exercise his influence
upon his party and upon congress.
Meanwhile Mr.. Roosevelt is devoting
his energies 10 an effort to finish up
some OF the work OF his own admin.
istration. One of the unfinished
things is the overhauling of the Sher-
man antitrust law. Congress was
against the president on this question
last winter but Mr.. Roosevelt has not
given up the fight