Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-07-08
THE SENATE s FAILURE.
Aidr'chism Condemned ny Leading
Republican Newspaper.

consideration OF the schedules OF |
the Senate's tariff bin having been |
completed. It Is In order 10
inquire what public advantage has re-
suited from the Roasting of the House
measure under the supervision of the
hnance commit,ee-a process which
has occupied moro than II weeks.
What are the fruits, political and
economic. of the exhaustins labor ex-
pended on the House biil7 What has
Mr.. Aldrichs leadership-s- painstak-
Ing, so resourceful and SO persistent
really accomplished? Has It im.
proved and strengthened legislation
intended to carry out the promises of
the last republican national platform
as Interpreted by the republican can
ddate for the presidency and as gen
orally understood BY the republican
voters7 Has It even been successful
in applying and vindicating Mr.. AID
richs own views OF federal taxationr
From political point Of view tho
Senate's craft threw away all the
tactical advantages of tho House bill
II sacrihccd popularity TO STAND pat
ISM Whom the House bin was pass
ed 1t was welcomed everywhere az n
step forward In the rational applira-
ton Of the protective theory and as
a substantial redemption of republi-
Times and the New York Evening
Post, among the most extreme OF the
critics Of the Dingley law. praised the
House bin as liberal al d sensible. Ii
was attacked in no quarter. and had
the Senate finance committee possess
cd the political sagacity TO amend It
only in few minor particulars and
offer II for passage within week aft
er its reception 1t would probably
have become law before the end CT
May and been hailed by the public as
a now and gratifying departure III
tariff legislation It could not have
been made the subject Of partisan as
sault. The Assault on the Senate bill
comes from both parties That hill
is almost without defenders in either
the republican or the democratic
press. There are abundant !ndica-
lions that the great majority of the
republican voters look upon It as a
grievous blunder, PREPARATION for which
can he made only by a general rostor-
alton OF the House rates in the COM
mittee Of conference.
But beyond Dingleyizlng the Hous-
bill, ia : Mr.. Aldrich been able TO carry
out his own fiscal program? II.
started to prove that there would be
no need Of supplementary special tax
alton. to which he seemed unaltera hi y
opposed. He predicted that there would
be sufficient revenue from increa Sod
customs and therefore discarded the
| inheritance tax carried in the House
bill Now he has been forced to sup
port another form of special taxation
with even fewer merits than the In
heritance tax The latter tax is
caaly collected, It has been tested in
practice and is open TO no constitu-
! tional objections. Yet. having reject
ed II az impolitic and unnecessary,
tho chairman OF the nna'cc committee
is now advocating the imposition of a
! corporation excise tax. which Is in
reality an unEradcd income tax on a
sngl" form or income. which would
be pointedly ineGuitahlc in its arpli-
cation, which involves oppressive fea-
lures of government supervision and
general publicity and which must
face the risk Of being attacked I'm the
courts on the plea Of unconstitutional
! ity What advantage WIS gained by
, the finance committec's insistence tina,
! the House inheritance tax must &c
| because not needed, when in the end
n more burdensDme special tax sub
etitute WAS to he embraced and advo-
Gated? Here. again II would have
been better policy not to amend the
House bill. The Senate's attitude TO-
ward tariff legislation has been sing
ularly unprorressivc II has heen do
! termined moro by the traditions Of the
past than by any live appreciation OF
the political and economic demands OF
the present.