The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1908-05-27
REVISION AND REFORM.

trusts over the head, and at the same
time fighting for tariff. the mother OF
trusts.
A glance at the republican record II
promise and performance on the tar'H
question should convince anyone that
tbere is no chance of tariff reform un
der a republican administration. 1t is
true that all of the republican candl-
dates for the presidency are falling
over themselves in their effort to re-
gale TIE American people with prom
Uses Of tariff revision, but not a word
is said about tariff reform.
Why was not the work begun four
years ago. or two years ago. or in this
session? Why demand a tariff commits
! sion now?
| Besides. the republican leaders have
| never yet informed us whether they in
| tend to revise it up or revise it down.
The probability is it will be skyward,
for the story has been told that when
pressed for a specific statement on that
! subject the distinguished chairman of
! the ways and means committ@e Of the
! lower house. looked toward heaven and
exclaimed:
The republican party will revise the
tariff UP or down. as it pleases.'
! Go back and read the history of bro
ken promises and see how the friends
Of tariff have reformed il.
IL the national platform of 1884 you
will find these words;
The republican party pledges itself
to revise the inequalities of the tariff
and reduce the surplus
In its platform of 1883 we find it de-
nouncing the effort of a democratic
congress to cut down the tariff.
In 1892 the balloon comes down
again. and tie platform declares that
There should be duties levied. equal
to the difference between wages
abroad and ut home"
In that same platform of 1892. il
points with pride to the success IF
the republican policy of reciprocity"
What success ana what reciprocity"
Why James q. Blaine wore his great
life away in the vain erGeavor to per
suaGc his party into the policy Of reci-
procity. ana James c. Blaine failed and
died
The Dingley tariff bill piled up the
duties and when the lamented Mckin-
ley negotiated the treaties our modern
tariff revisioni@ts repudiated them,
ana they lie today in republican
pigeonho!es, sleeping the sleep that
knows no waking.
In 1896 the hish-tariff balloon was
abOut to get caught on a silver snag
ard tie republican party threw out
more ballast and more promises of re-
vision
In 1900 new shibboleth was found
in gambling hell. and they named it
'stan3 pat" and Il new glory fell prone
upon their faces at Chicago. and the
: protected industries opened their
money bags and Wall street shouted
halle!ujah. But they were not unmind-
ful of the great republican agricul-
tural states of the middle west and
they threw out more ballast and more
promises of revision.
And thus they rise in every campaign
toward the blue vault loaded with
sand TO throw into the eyes of the
American people. Four years ago MI.
Secretary Root was admitting the ne
cessity of a revision of the tariff before
the Home Market club. \ presidential
race was coming on. and the people
must be blinded with sand. The secre-
tary said:
The political party which believes in
protection should do the revising. That
party can be trusted to do it in due
time
How long is due time" from a high
protection standpoint?
Perhaps if Methuselah were livinp
he might solve the riddle.
And still the old balloon descends to
the minimum in every campaign and