New-York tribune., 1908-08-14
Mr. BRYAN AND THE TARIFF.

Mr.. Bryan's pose as a tariff reformer is some
what beIated. In his previous campaigns for
the Presidency although a low tariff is car
dnal principle with the Democracy, he ignored
the necessity for reform which he now pro
fesses 10 have considered crying and imperative
all along He preached then about bimetalhsm
and anti-imperialism. and was utterly fndif-
ferent TO the operations of the custom houses
If the Republican party all this while was
neglecting its duty 10 the people in raising rates
and then in maintaining them why did not ne'
as the leader of the opposition take up the peo-
pies cause? In the last four years, curing
which the tariff question has come to the front
and the realization that the Dingley rates need
revision has become general with the result
that the topic has finally forced itself upon the
unwilling attention of Mr.. Bryan, busted win
such live questions the government owner
ship of railroads and the initiative and referen-
dun. how much consideration has been given
hv him in his many public utterances TO tarlH
reform? Our impression. without performing
the impossible task of verifying it from the
mutitudinous records, is that Mr. Bryan mas
been dumb on the subject, though 1t is conceN-
able that talking at all seasons and upon all
sublunary topics he may have made suporui-
nate references to the taulf
Does Mr. Bryan stand for tariff reform IN the
minds of the electorate? He stands for any
leader of his party who reversed its position
and caused if to abandon its active advocacy
of q low tariff TO follow various will-o thewlsps
from the Populist platform The tariff question
has never appealed TO Mr.. Bryan, ana ne mas
never understood 1t. He is belated and hal1-
hearted tariff reformer because circumstances
have made him so. But under his leadership hlS
Marty has lost the advantage it once held among
friends of low duties as the historic advocate
of thst policy against the historic advocate of
the reverse policy. He is now making Iuthe
effort to reclaim this advantage. But there is
nothing in Mr. Bryans persistent Indifference to
the question and apparent incapacity to under
stand if nor in his party's coldness TO the cause
il once advocated and its present division or
oninion upon it to make the ardent supporter
of lower duties turn 10 him TO it with con
fdence The Democratic party is more than
half protectionist. and Mr.. Bryan does not care
enough about tariff reform to make fight for
If against the Indifference and hostility of his
party.
As for the accusation which he brings against
the Republican party, that it postponed tariff
revision until after election il has never been
concealed that this was done because the Re
nuhlicans regarded the details of tariff revision
as too contentious to plunge into an election
Rut If it was tactics that moved the Repub-
lican party to delay, it is tactics which impels
Mr.. BRYAN. who cares as much about the tariff
as he does about the rings of Saturn. to hnd
fault because the tariff was not changed before
election He would like to take advantage OF
the doubt uncertainty and disturbance which
an overhauing of customs schedules would en-
tail