Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1909-07-28
SEN. ALDRlcH,s CONCESSIONS.

lister and Leader who takes the least
interest whatever in the tariff situa-
tion will read carefully the following
report sent out from Washington by
the correspondent of the New York
Sun, nominally republican, and be-
cause of bitter hatred of Roosevelt
extremely cordial towards the presi-
dent. The Sun would not intention
ally misrepresent the president nor
Senator Aldrich.
The Sun correspondent says:
Little by little it is coming 10 be
better recognized. particularly since
the several recent White House CON
ferences between the President and
leaders of the senate and the house,
That good deal of misunderstanding
has existed regarding the attitude
of Senator Aldrich toward the tariff
Mr.. Aldrich has been represented as
the head of devil of protection who
cares nothing for the consumer, but
is bound hand and foot to the so.
called interests. 1t has been declar-
ed that on account of high protection
notions designed to putting money in
the pockets of wealthy manufacturers
he has shown an uncompromising at
t!tude toward the free admission of
raw materials. OF course there was
some warrant for the belief that Mr.
Aldrich was opposed to the free adj
mission of raw materials on account
of the disposition made of such arti-
cles by the senate finance committee,
OF which Mr.. Aldrich is chairman
when it framed its substitute for the
house tariff bill.
AS matter of fact. however, and
nobody knows this better than MIR.
Taft, Mr.. Aldrich is not opposed to
admitting certain classes of raw ma
terials free of duty. On the contrary
his inclination is to let these pro-
ducts of foreign countries enter the
United States with few restrictions
or no restrictions at all in order that
American manufacturers will have
the advantage of buying them cheap
ly for manufacture into the finished
product.
But according to people in posi-
tion to know and whose reliability
cannot be duobted Mr.. Aldrich was
forced to assume a different attitude
with respect to raw materials by the
difficulties which he encountered in
the senate in attempting to make n
tariff bill which would satisfy enough
republican senators to insure its pas
sage.
| 1t is cardinal principle of bust
ness procedure in the national legis-
lature that all legislation is necssar-
lily compromise and that no legisla-
tion is more subject to give and take
methods than that affecting gener-
al tariff revision. When Mr.. Aldrich
got the republican members of his
committee tngather with tho ahieet
of amending the house tariff bill his
past experience made him cautious
of adopting any radical changes un.
til he knew how they would be re-
ceived by majority of his fellow
senator's.
II 1t is asserted that Mr.. Aldrich was
in favor of the free admission of raw
materials from the first, but that he
found the opposition to this course
so great and the chances or combina
ton against him so certain that he
was obliged to make concession tc
this senator or group of senators il
order that he might obtain suppor1
for amendments of somewhat radi
cal character which he had in. con
temptation.
President Taft, it is understood
had knowledge of all through thu
! tariff controversy of the difficultie
with which Mr.. Aldrich was beset an
did not share the view that Mr.. Aid
rich was opposed to any revision
downward.
Now that the tariff bill is in con
ference the President. following
determination reached long ago, |
seeking to bring about by persona
appeal and persuasion what Senate
Aldrich is credited with having al
tempted to accomplish, but failed t
i accomplish on account of divers
opinions among republican senator
representing widely separated cor
stituencies whose material interest
differed radically.
Here we have the whole story !
black and white. Senator Aldric
could not hold the votes of men lik
Senators Warren, Carter, and tn
twenty others who went to Pres
dent Taft to protest against free ra
materials, and so he gave them hig
tariffs in the senate bill in exchang
for their votes for high tariffs O
manufactured goods.
But now that the tar.sf on man
| ID iiASu ShS So.AAS
ence committee can do nothing bl
take the rates of the Payne bill
the Aldrich bill, and both are hie
now that the manufacturer
where he cannot be touched Senate
Aldrich is willing to have revisit
downwards on hides and other ra
materials, and the president, who hi
known the programme from Il
start comes out and makes the d
~ mand which the senator from Rho'
= Island will graciously concede.
But there is one fly in the OH
ment-the raw material senators a
not willing to be sacrificed. One
the senators is quoted by the Be
ton Transcript correspondent as sa
ing: