The St. Lucie County tribune. (Fort Pierce, St. Lucie County, Fla.) 1905-1920, 1909-08-20
TARIFF MAKES
NEW ISSUES
Agricultural Sections Are Paying
Tribute to Manufacturers
THE WEST WAKING UP
Corporation Tax and Proposed Income
Tax Only Features Of Aldrich Tariff
That Will Tax The Interests.

President Taft was too honest to ex-
press entire satisfaction with the tariff
bill he lately signed. He lacked some
what the singleness of purpose that in
duced Grover Cleveland to leave the
Wilson tariff act unsigned, while criti-
Ching the treachery that "blasted the
counsels of the brave in the hour of
their might" The traitors to their
party's platform of that day are, none
of them, in public life today, says the
Atlanta Constitution. But it would be
mistake to suppose that Cannonism
and Aldrichism have won their fight,
though Tor the moment they seem tri-
umphant. The presidents apology for
signing the tariff bill is ample vindica-
tion of those insurgent Republicans in
the house and senate who refused to
vote for it, as well as the Democratic
minority that was almost solid against it,
One new issue created by the present
tariff bill is whether the capitalized
east shall continue to dictate the poll
cies of this government as against the
agricultural south and west. New Eng
land reaps the main benefit from the
present act. The great truth remains
after all tariff sophistries are brushed
aside that the farmer must sell, in the
markets. of the world, his surplus wheat
and corn and cotton, in competition
with the rest of the world, and must
buy in a limited market; that the pro-
Queer of the raw materials of food and
manufacture must sell without protec-
ton and pay tribute on every purchase
to the protected interests. The South
has long understood this. 1t knows
that even where there are interests
that demand protection within their
borders, such as the numbering interests
and the cotton manufacturing interests
there are more people who buy lumber
and cotton goods than those who manu-
ufacture and that the interests of the
MANY are rather to be considered than
the interests of the few. The west has
lately seen the grea; light.
The New York Sun, whose ability is
only equaled by its devotion to 1.-THE in
terests," sees the issue clearly.
In recent thenody anent the coming
triumph of the west and the south it
speakes of "that unhappy and subject
people whose weak and helpless lives
and humble and defenseless homes lie
upon the, slopes of the Alleghenies,
which front the rising sum-" OF course
this is pathetic plea that the income
tax amendment be not adopted by the
states, for the reason that the east will
have to pay perhaps nine-tenths OF such
tax, when congress shall see mt to
levy it, under the amended constitution.
The corporation tax, which makes
the ;Aldrich bill little more than toler-
able-thanks to the president will also
be paid largely by the capitalized east,
the home of the great corporations
which have made New Jersey the "trai-
tor state to her sisters, and from this
home of privileges defy the laws of the
States under the protection of the fed
eral courts. Not only will the tax it
self be considerable, but the pow ar of
the federal. government to control,
through the power of investigation and
publicity granted it, is largely increased
Not only 50, but the people will have in
the corporation tax an alternative to
excessive tariff taxation. An era of
extravaganza in government has always
been purposely allowed by the Republic
can party on the eye Of the tariff re-
vision, that the necessity for revenue
for the government might be made the
plea against any lowering of the tax.
That will not be the case hereafter.
And in view of this alternative and the
ease with which, in the future, the bur-
den can be laid where it ought to be
laid upon those most able to bear it, it
may well be that economy will prevail
instead of extravaganza and that the
next tariff will be revised, not in the
house of its friends, but by the friends
of the people who pay the taxes at last.
The country is entitled to rest from
tariff agitation for the present. 1t must
get accustomed to the new schedules
and business be given a chance to act
on a basis, of certainty in the near flu
ture. But, the issue is by no means set
tied. The Cannon discipline of the in
surgent republicans will only make them
stronger with their home people. The
Democracy has some traitors to get rid
of, or at least to scare into submission.
But the alliance between the real DEM
ocrats, who believein tariff reform and
the regulation Of the corporations, and
the western republicans is an event Of
the near future, and that alliance win
control. The pinnacle of high tariff
rates has been reached. After this the
decline will be easy or sudden according
to the degree to which the people can
be educated up to demand for their
rights. But easy or sudd n, there will
be lowering of the tariff at the next
fair opportunity, and the lifting of the
greater burden of taxation from the