The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-07-15
THE TARIFF OUT OF POLITICS.
Democrats Take 1t Ont by DESERT
ing Their Traditional Position.


Democrats have been anxious to take
the tariff out of politics. Nobody,
however, expected 10 live TO see that |
done. Yet the Democrats have done |
it in the past few weeks in Congress
They have done it by deserving their |
traditional position on that issue and |
voting for high duties. On the propo- |
sitions to put iron ore. lumber. hides |
and other raw materials on the free !
list. a majority of the Democrats who !
voted in the Senate voted no. The |
Democrats changed the House bill, |
which reduced nearly all the duties !
that it touched, and gave the changes |
an upward direction. Under the lead |
ership of Mr.. Aldrich. the Democratic
Senators tore up the Denver platform
and repudiated Cleveland, Bryan and
every other leader of their party from
the days of Robert j. Walker down.
Samuel J. Randall's protectionist lean
ings surprised Republicans as well as
Democrats in his day. but Randall
was a free trader compared with Nc
Emery, Daniel, Bacon, Foster. Bailey
and other Democrats who have always
been in good standing in their party
and all of whom supported Bryan In
all of his campaigns.
This will prevent the Democrats
from saying anything on the tariff in
the Congressional campaign of 1910
or in the Presidential canvass two
years later. AS Senator Aldrich's
auxiliarieS the Democrats have given
the tariff bill the ultra-protectionist
bent which many of the duties show.
On only one important proposition has
Mr. Aldrich been beaten in the pres
ent session, and that was on pineap-
pies. He was beaten because his Dem
ocratic allies deserted him and placed
the duty higher than he wanted TO put
1t. The sight of Aldrich on one side
and the bulk of the Democratic Sen
ators on the other was an odd spec
tacle, but the country has just seen
it.. An amendment by Taliaferro. OF
Florida. increasing the duty on pine
apples to 12S per cent above the Ding
ley rate was opposed by Aldrich. and
most of the other upward revisers
among the Republicans but the Dem
ocrats carried the advanced duty. and
IL will stay in the bill unless the
House conferees knock it out. More
than half of the Democrats voted for
duty higher than Aldrich thought
was needed. Chamberlain, Simmons
and many other Democrats abandoned
their old leader, Aldrich. because they
thought he was getting to be a free
trader. And the Democrats defeated
him and the Finance Committee on
that issue. Senator Root declared
against what he called "the enormous
and altogether unwarranted increase
in the duty on pineapples." Senator
Aldrich protested against it as being
unjust and unnecessary. But as the
Rhode Islanders Democratic allies
broke away from him on this division
they were able to defeat him.
Whatever kind of bill the tariff
measure turns out to be when the
Conference Committee gets through
with it, the Republican party will be
responsible for IT. But as all the adj
vances in duties which will be in the
bill have been placed there by Dem
ocratic votes, the Democrats will be
prevented from making an issue out
of it. They will be forced to keep
silent about the measure. No Dem
ocrat dare vote for duty higher than
the Senator from Rhode Island. the
most extreme protectionist in the
country, thinks is desirable" said Sen
ator Rayner. of Maryland, to his DEM
ocratic colleagues when the division
on pineapples came. Yet a majority
of Rayner's Democratic friends went
right ahead and did this very thing
/ Probably Rayner thinks now there is
no longer q Democratic party, and
| perhaps he Is correct. But men who
| still call themselves Democrats have.
| in the present session. gone farther
| in the way of imposing high duties
| than the most stalwart Republican.
| Despite the blame which will attach
| to Mr. Aldrich and his particular ele-
| nent of the Republicans for such adj
| vances In duties as may remain in the
bill when it gets on the statute book.
the Democrats dare not assail the bill
or assail Aldrich. They assisted him
in making them. The only fault which
they can find with him is that. in
sending duties upward, he did not In
all cases. go far enough TO please
them. For this reason it is hard to
see how a party issue can be made
out of the tariff again. unless the Dem
ocrats take the high protectionist side
and attempt to make the Republicans
declare for free trade. No Democratic
national convention will ever be able
to frame any tariff plank again like
that of 1908 and of all the preceding
| Presidential years. AS tenet in the
| Democratic creed free raw materials
and free trade are as dead as slavery
and secession. At last the tariff has
been taken out of poltics-St. Louis
| Globe-Democrat.