The National tribune., 1909-07-22
TALKING FOR RuNcoMBE.

II the Americans had that keen sense
of humor with which they are universally
credited, the tariff debate would seem in
expressibly humorous to them. The Ding
ley Tariff has been in operation about l.
years, and has given greater satisfaction
than any other tariff bill ever enacted
Only the importers. who are greedy to
make profit. not only on everything that
Americans buy. but on everything which
they sell, were strongly dissatisfied with
it. OF course perpetual grumblers and
the politicians, who have to find burning
issues somewhere, have attacked the tariff
bill savagely. They would have attacked
any bill or any measure with equal fervor
if they could have hoped to impress the
people and get them to listen to them. Of
course the Dingley bill had some injus-
tees and inequalities. tho these were not
a fractional part of the proportions they
were represented to be. The most OBJ
jectionable of the details in the many
schedules was not doing anything like the
harm that was blatantly represented. II
would have been strange if bill Of such
length, and touching SO many interests,
had not had a number of defects. Ex-
perience had shown, however. that these
were far less momentous in the Dingley
bill than in any previous bill. In other
words, our law makers had learned much
by experience and by study of all the in
formation that they were able to gather
from the country. All that was neces-
sary in revising the tariff was to have
these Objectionable features eliminated or
reduced TO their lowest quantity. This is
what any plain ordinary business man
would have done about any system which
had worked well. Such a simple. sensible
TO the politicians and newspapers. There
being no other matter of great public in
terest before the country they felt called
upon TO make the most of this and conse-
quently every Senate every Representa-
tive. and every newspaper has strained
himself or itself to make showing on the
tariff bill. Senator's and Representatives
felt that they could not go back to their
constituents without working some splurge
on tariff revision to make up the account
OF their stewardship and the newspapers
were equally certain that they must main
tain their position as sentinels on the
watch towers of liberty by loud and in
tense yelling.
Possibly the most effective part of the
discussion. and one which was least an
ticipated, was the shifting of positions by
the members of both parties. Altho the
Denver platform expressly declared for
free lumber. to catch the Western vote.
the Democrats from all the lumber pro-
ducing States found means TO dodge
around this plank and some of them were
quite ingenious in reasons therefor, as in
the case of Mr.. Simmons. of North Caro-
lima North Carolina is a great lumber
producer and it would not do for Mr.. Sim
mons to go back to his constituents with
the showing that he had acted in aceord-
ance with the platform of his party with
reference to free lumber. Quite cum
njngly he found that the duty on lumber
was revenue producer and therefore in
accordance with the Democratic doctrine
OIL ldfltl fttSiIuSs -skuhy OthSE bsiio
Gratis were not as ingenious as Mr.. SIM
mons. but they all found some excuse for
voting for heavy duty which would pro-
tect the interests of their constituents.
After all the roaring in both Houses
and all the miles of editorials in the
papers the tariff bill will be just what It
should be and what everybody Of sense
wanted. That is, it will be a re-enact-
ment OF the Dingley Tariff Bill with judi
cious amendments wherever the opera
ton Of that bill has been shown to be
faulty. This result is duly due to the
able management by Senator Aldrich, and
amid the storm of ideas and criticism di-
rected against him he has never faitered
for an instant, but has kept the Senate
firmly on the proper course that it should
take and in the end the bill will meet
with universal approval.
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