The Detroit times., 1908-11-19
REVISION
FIGHT WILL Be
VERY HOT
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT AND Mr..
TAFT ARE ON ONE SIDE OF
CONTEST AND sENEFIcIARlss
ON OTHER.

CHICAGO, Nov. 19.--Walter Well
man wires the Record-Herald from
Washington as follows:
Tariff revision for the people or for
the special interests Is the greatest
question now before congress. Pres
ident Roosevelt, Presidentto-be Taft
and public opinion are on one side. the
selfish beneficiaries of the tariff on
the other. The latter apparently have
with them the speaker Of the house OF
representatives, the ways and means
committee and the controlling oil
garchy In the senate. We thus havs
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 II was intended to be, indicates
clearly enough where he stands. AL.
vim H. Sanders, OF Chicago, president
of the American Reciprocal Tarii
league, wrote the president he had
heard the high tariff advocates intend
ed to rush revision through the short
session OF congress which comes to
an end March L In reply the pres!.
dent says he has not heard Of any
such plan and adds. II entirely agree
with you that such course would DC
improper and I will not consent to
It."
AS a. matter Of fact there had been
talk OF rushing through revision
Hor In
session which President Taft is to
call. The plan was to give the spe.
cial interests what they wanted and
hayeit over with as quickly as pos
Eglh1e. In support OF this plan the
Iyfyument was used that talk or re-
Sis16A would produce uncertainty and
oct - q deterrent upon business &C
tvity. But this idea has been
abandoned. No one now seriously
talks or revision this winter and moth
ing 10 to be attempted IT the short
session accepting preparation for the
work to b done at the extraordinary
session In the spring. Railroading
through a revision Of the interests
was . little too much and even with
out the opposition OF President Roose'
welt II p probable the scheme would
have fal1an duwp at ~ own weight.
What Isool1pnk R0ceeyelt maanAAz
This letter - Nj. 9andefs Is that Mr.
Taft was elected In part on tarif
revision issue; that In the public
mind there IL belief the new presi
dent stands for revision for the whole
people--for the consumer an well az
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 to redeem HIS
pledges and to exercise his influence
upon his party and upon congress.
Meanwhile Mr.. Roosevelt II devotins
his energies to an effort to finish w
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