Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-04-05

ers not even tie widest imagination
can pictzr4 but tie general opinion IL
that It WI suffer change greater
even than did its renowned father
when he lost his whiskeRs.
What Yves Done to the Wilson Bill.
William l. Wilson o0ce got up fine
tariff bill in the house, but BY the time
Arthur Pue German and some Of his
senatorial friends had finished with 1t
the only thing that poor Wilson recog
nized about his bill was its name. Ev.
erything else except the enactins
clause had had things done to It. Pres
ident Cleveland was 50 tncensed at tho
changes that he would not sign the
measure, but let It become law with
out his signature. It is to be hoped
that President Taft will find no such
bantling left upon his doorstep.
A revision Of the American tariff is
always an important thing for the en-
tire commercial world. to say nothing
Of the world OF politics. The present
revision is even more noteworthy in
that 1t constitutes the first big policy
Of new administration. The prepara-
tons for the event went forward many
months. Mr.. Payne's committee had
fnnumerable meetings IN Washington.
which were Hvened up BY such famous
humorists as Andrew Carnegie, who
said in effect that the tariff might as
well be abolished since he already had
HIS why Mark Twain was not called
is not apparent.
The ancient, honorable and perennial
nature Of the tariff is indicated by Mr..
Payne himself when he says:
Our tariff system Of today. viewed
entirely apart from any political as
pect 1t may have and solely as well
established economic policy Of the gov
eminent. is the outgrowth of over a
hundred years Of experience. The tar
iff question was agitated in the United
States long before the adoption Of the
federal constitution"
The word "tarif'' is supposed to
have been derived from the name Of
the town Tarifa, Spain, where vessels
passing were compelled to pay tribute
Punsters have said that 1t comes
from terrific. but the tariff costs too
much money to be treated with levity
However innocent the word was In its
infancy, 1t has Grown hardened in sin.
1t has also been hardened BY the pro.
family hurled at 1t by travellers and
Importers. The tariff has been sworn
at in all languages and from the most
remote ages. As custom houses are SIT
uated on the frontier. the nations
blessed with tariR-and cursed for it
have been literally ringed with blue.
What the Tariff Is Good For.
Port duties have not only caused
picturesque and difruse blasphemy, but
have sweAed tho ranks Of the Ananias
club. What traveler ever failed to lie
about the eonteats Of his baggage to
the inquisit1ve custom house officials,
and what traveller who did lie ever
failed to get caught at it when the
custom house officials tnmbled his be-
longings all over the premises? There
Is only one good thing about the sys-
TEN, and that is having ones bags
plastered ali over with aristocratic
looking foreign labels. When man
can sport st1ckers Of all kinds and
sises on his cut case Il lets the world
know thGt As kas been somewhsre.
The ta1t6 We have with us always.
The first political speech ever heard
was on the tariff. The last listened
to few months ago had the tariff as
its chief theme. Presidents have come
and have gone. new issues have arisen
and disappeared, generations have
been born. reproduced their kind and
been gathered to their fathers, but the
tariff has remained. 1t was with us
when the constitution was formed; it
Is with us bigger than ever at this
present hour. If it is not immortal 1t
is at lenst UNRELIABLE. Like Tennyson's
brook, 1t can sing:
For men may come and men may go,
But go on forever.
To paraphrase recent utterance Of
Joseph Pulitzer concerning q former
president Of the United States in
Pulitzer's newspaper, an admission 10
IN incident; the tariff is an institution.
The first event Of the administration
Of William Mckinley twelve years ago
was an extra session Of congress to
revise the tariff. The first event Of the
administration Of William Howard
Taft is an extra session of congress to
revise the tariff. To make the parallel
stu closer, each Of these extra SEES.
sfons was called to meet on March Is,
or eleven days after the new presi-
dents Inauguration. The result Of the
Mckinley congress was the Dingley
law, which is still on the statute books
The result Of the Taft congress will bs
-what3
PLAN TO AID LABoRERs.
Dean Sumner Advocates Another Hoi.
iday In Week to Educate Toilers.
To make one day out Of the six
working days in the week holiday
for the laboring man was recently sug.