Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-08-10


gress and a republican President who,
when a candidate before the people, said
he favored a revision downward. There
can be no evasion of party responsibility
for the measure. for in the House only
two men calling themselves democrats
voted for it. and the majority there was
twelve. while in the Senate not single
democratic vote was recorded in the al
firmative and the majority there was six
teen.
Shameless Senators.
From the Columbus ,Oh!o, News
The action of majority of the mem
bers of the United States Senate in open
~ and unblushingly breaking their solemn
pledges to the people on tarin revision
was so fragrant that admiration Tor the
colossal nerve with which the scheduies
were pushed through over all opposition
distracted attention of the people from the
Of the crime.
Lack of Candor.
From the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
In one thing at least. President Taft
is unquestionably correct. The law is
far from satisfactory. whether or not
publican organs and orators will claim.
the impression on the popular mind is
that shifty men have stacked the cards
or presented a gold brick for the ad-
of the grileless. There was rea-
son and justice in the expectation that
brave campaign promises would be fol-
lowed by more candid and adequate full
filiment. Before the next national cleo
ton the tariff may be superseded as an
issue. But the complaiSant and Servlle
who bowed in speeches.
awe before the partisan dictators will
hear a word or two when they run for
re detection. The tariff issue will last at
least that long. and the democrats are
certain TO make the most OF 1t.
Promises Not Kept.
From the st. Louis Republic.
In the send-off which he gives TO the
new tariff act, President Taft need not
have informed us that this is not a
free trade bill Nobody ever entertained
a suspicion that the republican Congress
would make tariff that wasn't in in
verse ratio TO free trade The Presi-
dents remark that the bill is not a
perfect tariff bill or complete compli-
ance with the promises made" is a waste
of printers ink No tariff can by any
possibility be perfect whose primary pur-
pose is protection, not revenue. The
has for weeks been aware that
the republican Congress had no intention
of keeping the promises which the re-
promises without which Mr.. Taft and
the republican House could not have been
elected.
Reading the Future.
From the St Louis Globe Democrat
Politically as we'll as industrially the
tariff adjustment will tell favorably on
the country No change in party control
of Congress will take place in 1919. This
point has been settled by the events of
the past few months, and ii Is very
important point. as the business man
views the situation. The President who
received his commission from the peo-
Pile in 1908 will have a Congress on his
side throughout his term. No such di-
vided counsels as distracted the country
during the second half of Grants and
Clevelands second terms and during the
last two years of Arthur'S and Harri-
sons days will come in Taft's term.
Along to March 4. 1913. at least. the po-
litical future of the country is fixed.
Here and there democrat pretends that
ne thinks his party has a fair prospect
If carrying the country for Congress next
year No democrat who is in touch with
affairs. however. believes this.
Question Not Settled.
From the Kansas City Times.
The first battle is ended. The Payne
Aldrich bill is law The pledges of the
party i'll power have been ignored. The
of President Taft, the utterances
WHICH separated him from the OInor as
oirantS for the presidential nomination,
and which enormously strengthened his
are still far from fulfllment
What. then. is the situation? Has Mr..
Tafts courageous initiative, in making
tariff reform a republican doctrine. after
the party had, for forty years. enslaved
itself unquestioningly to the high pro-
lection fetish. gone for nothing? Is it to
be believed that the President regards
the tariff as sealed and pigeonholed for
the term of his incumbency OF the chief
executive office?
Has Done His Best.
From the Columbus Ohio State Journal
The republican party has had no con-
rOversy within itself upon the principle
If protection. 1t is only in the applica-
ion of the principle that there have been
differences Of opinion. The demand for
downward revision was not an attack
Upon that principle. 1t steadily held to
he doctrine which was enunciated in the
national republican platform, that duties
should be prescribed. equal to the differ
ance Of labor in this and foreign coun-
That is protection according to the re-
publican idea. AS far as the President
could go he has gone in making this
legislation meet the promises of his
party. He has not accomplished all he
could wish, but he has done his best. and
The Presidents Part.
From the Milwaukee Journal
President Taft takes a halfway stand
on the tariff law. His position is neither
that of a standpatter nor of a genuine
revisionist. In signing the Payne bill
he states that while 1t is not perfect, nor
a complete compliance with the party
promise for downward revision, yet he
deems IT sincere effort" in the latter
direction. He praises it family and he
condemns it family. His attitude is that
of a man who is satisfied easily, but is
not altogether satisfied.
Pledges and the Bill.
From the Kansas City Star
The attempt TO make it appear that this
is the kind of bill the President had in
mind when he made his tariff revision
canvass and when he called the extra
session will fail. If the President has
not done all that was expected of him to
procure the right kind of a law it is new
ertheless the veriest folly to try TO con-
vince the country that he regards the
product of the tariff session as a fulfill
ment of his party's promises or his own
pledges
Many Objections.
From the Chicago Utter Ocean.
The tariff bill has passed Congress.
For this relief we all should give thanks.
1t is not the bill that anybody wanted.
to ii bristle on every side.
II does not adequately reduce the tariff
rates. 1t meets only partly the expecta-
tiOns raised in the last national cam
paign. Yet ii brings relief.
For months. at the most trying bust
ness period of the last two trying years.
the tariff bill has added uncertainty to
uncertainty, las unsettled everything
that was in a way to be settled and cast
a shadow over every rift that might be
breaking through the clouds. Ii has