Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1909-05-13
ON DANGEROUS GROUND


Tho paragraph In the republican
national platform promising a revision
q. the tariff, was put there ia re-
rponsc 10 q general dcmand ON the
part of the people OF the United states
Tor 4 general reduction Of tariff du-
ties. and those senators who argue.
with Mr.. Aldrleh, that the promise OF
a revision" does not necessarily mean
q revision downward" are treadini
upon very dangerous ground 80 far
as tho continued supremacy Of the rec
publican party Is concerned. The de-
mand OF the rank and file Of the re-
publican party was for a reduction,
and the platform promised q revision
which was understood by the people
ana explained by the party speakers,
from one end Of the country T. the
other. to mean reduction, ana 70
claim, as certain gentlemen are doing
now. upon the floor Of the senate. that
the party can fulfil it's promise Just as
well by revising the tariff upward as
downward, IL to convict the republican
party Of double dealing with the pco-
pho, Of getting votes az the late elcc-
tion under false pretenses, ana Of
keeping the word OF promise to the
ear to break 1t to the hope
Those leaders IN the senate who.
stand for this policy arc being warned
every day by many Of the soundcsl
republican pa pors I'm tho country, and
many OF the nblest republicans In con
Rrcss. that TO thus break faith with
the people VIII be 60 seriously onnce
II not utterly destroy. the supremacy
of the republican party.
The opinions entertained upon this
subject by many of the most earnest
republican papers OF the country are
fairly expressed IN the following state
ment by the Topeka State Journal, "It
these demands of the people arc not
listened TO by the present republican
congress, u Is as natural ana as GER
tain as is the following ~ Tho day y.
night. TINT they win turn to otiot
channels To get the relief that they
desire. The tariff question was not
much OF an issue ia the recent ma.
tional campaign. for the sinlplA rri-
son that both of the dominant rolir-
cal parties pledged themselves 20 ~
adequate revision in a downward di-
rrction. The republican platform
was not as explicit ON this point as
WAS that of the democrats. but the re-
publican candidates went further than
their platform and promised a tariff
revision OF the kind that was demand
ca II these promises aro not kept
NO similar One la the future VIII bee
needed by tho voters. who are moro
independent of party lines in their vot-
ing than they ever have been before
And these promises certainly VIII not
bo kept ~ q tariff bin is passed In
which are embodied many of the so-
hcnt features Of senator Aldrich's
plan.
In the event of a fnilurc of the re-
publicans Ia this regard The demo-
Gratis viii bee provided with e 1.-Two is-
sue on which to wage their next MAJ
tonal campaign with the chances that
"a little hlt of history win repeat IT,
self 10 wiltrbc remembered that r,t
emily democrat. Grover cleveland. wn7I
has been elected president since tAi
civil war, was elevated to that office
on the seccond occasion ON il direct IS
sue for a reduction of the tariff du
Ties. which the people demanded Dec
cause of the burdens placed ON them
by tho Mckinley protective tariff
Measure. which Oat passed during "a,
Harrison administration That was tho
is.ue on which Mr cleveland wor nis
second election II is the ouls iimc IN
scar, that a presidential oamraipn has
been fought out on that issue nnd the
people then showed where they stood
cora this proposition with no uncertain
voice. because Nh Cleveland did not
fnccerd ln getting the sort at n re-
duced tariff BIN that be desired that
does not cast ans shadow on the fact
that ho was elected 90 office BY the
people with the hopes that he would
goo abb, to bring about a desired re-
duciion of thc tariff duties