Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1909-05-17
WASHINGTONLETTER
BRISTOW, The FIGHTING KANSAN,
BOLTS ALDRICH BILL.
Announces That He will Not Vote
for Gold Brick Tariff Revision.
Other Progressive Republicans
will Talk Rebellion and Then
Submit.

WASHINGTON, D. c., May 10
Senator Bristow of Kansas, who con-
tinued on the floor of the Senate
today his fight against granting fa-
vors to the Lead Trust in the form
Of increased protection on pig lead
and lead bullion, means to go to
the mat with the Aldrich crowd on
the question of genuine tariff revis-
ion. To friends this afternoon he
said:
"If this bill does not fulfill the
pledges of the Republican party
when it comes from conference, 1 for
one. do not propose to vote for it,
l would rather let the question go
back to the country for another two
years, and then we will have Con-
gress that will do justice to the
American people,"
Bristow is the first of the progress
sive Republicans who has announce
ed such purpose. All the rest of
them, with the exception of La Fol-
luette, have said when questioned on
| the point that they would feel con-
stranded as good party men to vote
for the bill when consideration was
completed If President Taft made
known that the bill was satisfactory
to him. Yhis means that Cummins.
Dolliver, Borah, Crawford, Burton,
Nelson and the progressives
will get back on the re-
sevation in time for the final AL
drich roundup, for no one believes
for minute that the President will
express open dissatisfaction with the
bill when completed or threaten to
veto it, no matter how much of a
gold brick measure it may be.
President Won't Kill It.
| If it contains a provision or two
placing important articles like hides,
coal or iron ore on the free list, the
President will point to these as evil
dence that the pledges of the plat
form and his own personal pledges
have been redeemed and pronounce a
benediction on Payne and Aldrich
for their patriotic work in tightening
| the burden of taxation on the people
and stimulating American manufac-
lures by reducing the prices of the
raw material. This is the course
the progressive Republicans them
selves expect the President to pur-
sue. Their motto as regards the
President and tariff revision are
BLESSED are they that expect little,
for they shall not be disappointed"
But Senator Bristow believes the
only way to wiring concessions from
the bosses of the Senate is to let
them know they will bring about a
split in the party If the people are
not given the substantial reductions
in some of the leading schedules,
which they have been demanding for
years and which the party platform
of last year and the personal pledges
of the Presidential candidate led
them to believe they were to get as
a result of the tariff revision for
which the present expensive extra
session of Congress was called.
Wasting $4,000, 900 a Day.
Speaker Cannon in several recent
speeches urging haste in passing the
tariff bill declared that every days
delay in finishing the work was cost
ing the business interests of the
country at least $4,000, 1000. TAX
ing this estimate Of the Speaker as
basis of calculation, Senator Bris-
tow figures that before the tariff
bill receives the signature of the
President the attempt at tariff re-
vision will have cost the American
peOle billion and half. Even aft
er this vast loss has been inflicted on
the people, all they get in return is
a new tariff bill whose average tax
alton is heavier than that imposed
by the Dingley law. Senator Bris-
tow believes a great political and fis-
cal crime will have been committed
and that there will be tremendous
outbursts that will sweep out of pow
er every one connected with its per-
petuation. He does not propose to
be caught in the maelstrom, and for
that reason believes it the part of
wisdom as well as of patriotism to
make it known now that he will bolt
in the Senate and vote against the
Aldrich bill if it is jammed through