New-York tribune., 1909-07-29
BEHIND THE PRESIDENT.

Tho nIatform sdopted by the Republican State
Convention in Nebraska ought TO open the eyes
of the tariff reactionaries in Congress 1t takes
note of the efforts of the Senate to nulllfy the
substantial downward revision accomplished III
tbe tariff bill which passed the House of Repre-
sentatives. BY a unanimous vote the RepuD-
Iican party in Nebraska ranges itself on the
side of the House of Representatives and the
President and emphatcally commends the Pres
ident for his firmness in insisting that any tar
iff law passed at this session shall make good
the promises of the last Republican national
nlatform. The Endorsement of the Presidents
attitude Is complete. The platform says:
We approve commend and unqualifedy in
dorse the stand taken by President Tart IN the
matter of tariff revision. We are counting on
him to see it that the partys platform prom
ise Of revision is redeemed by the enactment OF
a tariff bill acceptable to the people, and we
would approve OF his veto any bill that does
not conform TO his construction OF the platform
pledge which he has said means revision down
ward within the limitations of the protective
principle" We look to Senators and Repre-
sentatives in Congress to sustain the President
in this position and we commend them Tor e thelr
efforts in support of the party pledge ana lhe
Presidents policies.
Nebraska is the first state which has had an
opportunity to express an opinion on the merlls
of the issue between the Senate, on the one
hand and the House, the President ana the
voters generally, on the other. The RepuOllcalS
of PENNSYLVANIA held a state convention ABOUT
the middle of June, before that issue had clearly
developed. The convention did not take sldeS'
naturally. but passed a resolution of a general
character indorsing the efforts of PennsylYa-
nia's Senators and Representatives to secure Il
satisfactory tariff revision. 1t approved the
votes of the members Of the House for free coal,
free hides free oil and free iron ore and for
liberal reductions in the iron and steel sched-
ues and at the same time it seemed 10 COM
mend the labors Of the Senators 10 relmpo'e
duties on coal. hides. oil and iron ore and 10
raise the rates on iron and steel manufactures
1t Is only fair to the Pennsylvania convention
70 sav that the Senates full programme had
not then been disclosed. Had it been the plat
form makers would probably not have lald
themselves open to the charge of self-connadlc-
ton They approved the work OF the House.
which was finished, and took the work OF the
Senate. which was unfinished largely on faith.
With the reactonary purpose of the Senate
made more clear, and the great weight or lie
Presidents influence openly thrown in favor
of the House contentious, we do not think that
tbe PENNSYLVANIA convention would have failed
to make the same choice that the Nebraska con
vention has made between the cause of prog
ress and the cause of reaction.
Nebraska leads the way in expressing what
is undoubtedly the sentiment of the great body
of Republican voters in all parts Of the Union
It is a representative Middle western stdte'
close politically with tendency to robust par
tisapship. Its declarations reflect the ideas and
feelings of the people Of many neighborng
states. and the unanimity Of opinion shown at
Lincoln indicates that the demand for pro-
gressive tariff policy comes from the mass or
the voters and is not merely a creation OF the
politicians There Is probably no state in the
Middle West in which nine-tenths Of the Re
pubcans do not sympathZe with the pro
gramme of the President and the House OF
Representative. There are probably not halr
a dozen states in the Union in which local inter
ests seeking special tariff favors, would be
strong enough to make serious fight for the
Senate's progra mme on a direct appeal to the
rank and file of the party. It Is the great
tactical advantage of the President in the pres
ent tariff negotia tions that he has time his
side and the people behind him. The country
will sustain him in holding out for redemp-
ton of what he rightly considers the pledges
of the national platform on which be was
aA