The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-05-16
THE FARCE BEING
ACTED IN WASHINGTON.
New Orleans States.


The other day Senator Clapp, OF
Minnesota, declared in speech that
so far the tariff proceedings In the
senate were d mere farce, and IL he
thought there was not to be re-
vision downward, and that the spe-
eial session of congress had been
called for the ridiculous purpose OF
reafirming the Dingley law which
needed no reafirmation, ne would
pack his grip and. go home BY this
time it should be perfectly clear to
Mr.. -Clapp that about the pest thing
he can do is to pack his grip, because
it is evident thar the Aldrich idea of
tariH revision is to improve the Ding
ley act by increasing the duties in
q majority of the schedules and al
lowing nearly all the others to remain
unchanged.
Sufncient light has been thrown
whole country that the Republican
leaders in the senate never intended
to give the people any relief. With
casrming frankness Senator Lodge
the other day said, in the course OF
the debate: Il was not aware that
the Republican party was committed
by the platform adopted at Chicago
last June TO a downward revision"
But Senator AIdrich put the case more
strongly when he insisted that there
was not only no promise of reduc,
ton, but no desire for ii" and he
went on TO say that "as far as my
committee is concerned most of the
people who had been heard urged in
crease in duties, and this 1 regard
as rejecting the general sentiment
OF the country"
Senator Clapp, however, took occas-
ion to warn his party associates not
to be misled by Mr.. Aldrich's idea
that the general sentiment" of the
country was opposed to downward re-
vision. He declared that millions of
American citizens whose voices were
not heard in the committee rooms
of congress had demanded lower du-
ties, that reduction had been prom
ised them and in the event that the
promise was broken the enemies OF
protection two years hence would re-
wise the tariff with an ak, or words
to that effect.
"You can't tell me-" he asserted,
that the demand of the people did
not mean revision downward. The
people understood that we were to
have revision downward; the men
who made the platform understood
it. We understood 1t. Everybody IN
derstood it, and no amount of so
phistry can otherwise explain the
popular demand and the party prom
Use. When the people made the de-
mand for revision downward there
was no suggestion that these indus
tries we're not sufficiently protected.
L the demand did not mean changing
the duties downward it did not mean
anything and We are INDUCING in a
farce now"
The entire senate is aware of the
fact that a farce is being enacted.
and il was this knowledge which
prompted the inopportune proposition
of Senator NevIaGds to Senator Cum
minis for an alliance of Democrats
and progressive Republicans against
the Aldrich program wnich brought
from the Iowa senator the reply that
the suggestion Was not practicable in
view OF the fact that speeches fav-
oring high duties had come from the
Democratic side of the chamber. II
is to be regretted tnat a Republican
should be able to bring such a re-
proach against members of the DEM
cratic minority, but the situation may
not be so bad as it appears TO Senator
Cummins, Cor il is we'll to bear in
mind the unanimous vote of the Dem
ocTats in the senate last Wednesday.
against an increase of duty for ttI1,
benefit of the Lead trust. This &C
ton seems TO be an encouraging omeL
of future harmony among the Dem
ocrats on the more important sched
ules of the AldFieh bill After all
it may be the part of political Wis
dom TO permit the Aidrich meRstPos-
ity to 90 through the senate, be-