New-York tribune., 1909-07-10
THE VOTE IN THE SENATE.

There is no need of taking very seriously the
suggestion that the Republican Senators VINO
cast their votes against the Aldrlch tarln pIiI
represented only their individual views ana ulu
not speak for the states which elected thein
or for tbe Republican party generally. 1t IS
true that they separated from the Senate Or
ganization and failed to approve the policy
which the Finance Committee and the majority
of the Republican majority thought 1t best To
follow in dealing with the progressive features
Of the House bill. Yet it is idle 10 try to make
such action the basis of a charge that the Ke-
publican Senators who opposed the Senate Dill
fell short in their Republicansm or subor-
dinated party duty to personal opinion. IhouSh
Mr. Aldrich declared on Thursday that Ihe
Senate bill lis a revision which carries out to
..tha letter every pledge of the Republican
''narty" there are many who maintain Just as
firmly that it does not redeem Republican
pledges and is essentially, so far as the dutiabe
ana free lists are concerned. notification OF
the cornmendable efforts of the trainers OF the
House bill to make good the promises OF the
Republican national platform Of 1908 ana 10
pave the way for a rational application of the
principle of protection.
Who Is to judge whether the Senators oppoS-
ing the Aldrich bill were or were not IN sym
pathy with the real sentiment Of the party: II
the Senate bill must be admitted TO represent
erred. But there are other plans of tariff re-
vision which Republican voters are considering
as we'll as the Senate's. There Is the House blll.
for instance If the Houses theory of revision
is right. the Senate'S Is wrong. Yet we thlhh
that between the two Republican opinion IS
overwhelmingly in favor of the Houses plan
There is also President Tafts programme
which aims at a consolidation of the lower
rates of the two bills giving a resultant reduc-
11no11 hat MIA n
by the House of Representatives. On ref
erendum to the Republican voters Of the coun-
fry we think that the Presidents ideas would
be overwhelmingly preferred TO those of either
the House or the Senate.
The Senate managers certainly weakened the
case which they tried TO make against the Re
publicans who opposed the Senate bill by adj
mitting that It contains many rates put IN 10
be sacrificed afterward. The Tribunes Wash
ington dispatches of Thursday, explaining their
position. said:
The leaders believe also. that the public and
the press should refrain from passing judgment
on the work of the Senate until the conference
committee has completed its labors. Ihey ad-
nit that as passed by the Senate the bill con-
1afns many rates which certain 10 be re-
iected in conference Some OF these were de-
5tero+aII- incerted in the bin for trading pur-
poses" A far larger number were accepted 10
prevent extended debate and with the mental
reservation that they would certainly be ehml-
mated in conference.
II was announced some time ago, when the
duty on iron ore was restored, that the Senate
was only nanRuvring for position, marching
up hill with the full intention of marching down
again We said then that perhaps the only ob-
iect Of that byplay was to let Mr. Bailey ana
his Democratic followers exploit their repudla-
ton of the once popular Democratic policy or
free raw materials. But if the duties on iron
ore. coal and hides are to be surrendered, ana
it is a more or less open secret that the Sen
ate bill has been freely padded for trading
purposes the Republicans who opposed II be-
cause it went too far in multiplying the GOOD
work done bv the House had an additional rea-
son for not accepting ii as model piece OF
tariff legislation. They reserved their Judg-
ment on that point just as the press ard the
public are now asked to do, awaiting the curing
processes of conference. Those processes, the
country hopes will return the bill 70 the Sen
ate in a shape in which it will deserve and OBJ
tain the votes of ali Republicans