Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1909-04-14
IT, IT, K AZ ID Sc Ex
Observations by Clarence

! " IN " " VI
! Observations by Clarence 7
The first act of the comedy-drama
Revising Tariff" has been
played and the curtain will this
week go up on the second act. The
house passed the Payne bill last
week, and if that had been the final
step we would have had slight re-
duction in rates. But unfortunate
ly the house, altho under the consti-
tuition it is the place for originat-
ing revenue measures, has really no
power in such matters. To con-
form outwardly with the constitu-
tional provision, the house is per-
mitted to 60 thru the motions of
passing the bill. Meanwhile Al
drich has prepared a substitute bill
for the senate. which will pass SUBJ
stantially as he has made it, and
then the house can concur or refuse
to concur, as it pleases. If it
agrees to the bill we shall have an
other Aldrich tariff which will in
all probability look so much like
the present tariff law (also a crea-
ture of Aldrich's production) that
it will require microscopic exam
ination to tell the difference. If it
does not concur, then the present
law remains in force. With the
senate in the hollow of his hand and
with the alternative of falling back
on the Dingley bill, Aldrich has
complete control of the situation.
An effort was made in the house
to put lumber on the free list. The
result shows plainly that the tariff
is local issue, as Hancock said.
Fifty-fve republicans voted for this
provision, among them being the
entire Minnesota delegation, and
practically all the others were from
the northwestern states. You see,
the lumber industry is nearing its
end in those states, and the people
still need lumber, so they were now
in favor of removing the duty.
But thirty-eight democrats voted
against the proposition, all but one
of them being from the south. The
south has immense forests awaiting
the lumberman's ak, and the tariff
on Canadian lumber will give these
lumber industries a wider market
in the north than it would have
with free trade, the two dollar ia,
serving to wipe out the difference
in freight rates. Hence these de-
mocrats, tho theoretically low tariff
men or free traders, became protec
tionists, while the protectionists O:
the northwest became free traders
The high tariff men Of the cas-
were free traders on the hide pro
position and the free traders of tn,
west and southwest became protec
tionists on that measure. Tn,
east won, and hides 60 on the FREE
list. The Standard Oil compan!
suffered a temporary setback, pc
troleum being placed on the fire.
list. But then Father in-law AL
drich will attend to that matter il
the senate, so John D. will not los
any sleep on that account. Seem,
that John D. has been able t
smother competition right at home
it would seem that he reall
wouldn't need any protection from
foreign competitors. Still, ever
little helps, and a duty of such ma
ture might enable him to extrac
enough coin from the pockets of tn
American consumers to endow an
other university.
| II
The state legislature consistent
pursues it's course in numbering
temperance legislation. 1t guillo
tined Elmer Adams bill for loca
option in small cities, giving ther
the same rights as the people j
villages and townships. Under tn
present laws number of cities o,
, ganized without home rule char
ter have no way of voting on tn
liquor proposition directly. Tn
only thing they can do is to max
the fight on aldermen and try
elect majority of the counc
pledged not to grant license. Thi
is unsatisfactory, because it doe
not always represent the wishes q
the majority of the people. A ms
jority If one for license candidate
in one ward may elect two licens
aldermen, while a majority of on
hundred against license in anothe
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