The Hawaiian gazette., 1909-06-22
GETTING TARIFF DATA FOR
COMING BIG CAMPAIGNS

! want this surplus to be earning inter
est. But first of all men engaged in
trade and industrial enterprises want
| to know what the tariff rates are going
to be. A change here or there in the
tariff law might wipe out the profit OF
an enterprise as at present organized.
The business cry, however does not
appeal to the opposition. "You Repub-
lican leaders are responsible" say
these oppositionists. "You shall not
rush through legislation here on that
sort of an argument"
Then the western country, from
which the Republican insurgents come,
is not an extensive manufacturing sec.
ton. Iowa, Nebraska, Kansas, Min
nesota, South Dakota. That comprises
| about all the insurgent Senators. In
most of those states big factory
would be almost as much of curios-
| ity as a modern battleship. And the
comparatively few factories that those
states have are engaged in manufac.
lures that grow out of the agricul-
tural industry-the big -four mills of
Minneapolis, for instance. And these
big imperial states in the heart of the
country are protected from foreign COM
petition in their products by the great
distances from the seaboard, which
means prOhibitive freight rates for in
coming products. Cotton goods, wool
en- goods, boots and shoes and scores
of manufactured articles that these i'm
perial states in the very center of
the country use in quantities are made
in the great manufacturing states to
the east.
Even the Insurgents from Nebraska,
Kansas, South Dakota, and Minnesota
can be as nimble as anybody else in
piling bricks upon the tariff wall when
it helps them and their constituents.
All at once, the other day, Senators
Brstow. La Toilette, Nelson, Burkett
and others of the ultra Western
progressive group" wheeled out of
the Democratic column and caught step
with Aldrich, Hale, Lodge, Root, Pen
rose and other high tariff men. 1t was
a sight that will long be remembered.
Barley was the cause. The Senate
Finance Committee had recommended
a duty of 80 cents bushel on barley,
where the House had voted "a cents
The barley raising states said "a cents
was not enough although the House at
the very eleventh hour, had raised the
rate. Iowa does not produce barley
and therefore the eloquent Dolllver and
the aggressive Cummins voted against
the increase. Nearly all the other in.
surgent Republicans came tumbling in
to the regular Republican ranks and
helped pile up the duty on barley.
Senator Bristow has received thou
sand letters of commentator since he
started his fight in the Senate for in
formation. That is enough to turn the
head of new senator. New men
have hard row to hoe in the Senate
as a rule. AT first the Senate paid
little attention to the inquiring Bris-
tow The hero of the Postoffice De-
use, come from England or Germany,
or Pittsburg or Chicago.
The price tag is the all absorbing
question with those Kansans. And of
course they write letters of commenda-
ton to their new Senator and, of course,
he feels like keeping up the warfare
for information. 1t is a selfish prop
osition for all concerned Tariff is
local. The struggle in the Senate is
one of sections. The cause. that can
muster the most votes, will have sway.
The only recourse left TO the Demo-
Gratis and the low tariff Republicans
is to fight and to demand informa-
ton. VI"