Willmar tribune., 1909-06-30

/; Observations by Clarence q
--~-~-~e-ee->e-e-e-
Said lifelong republican the
other day: IF congress passes the
Aldrich bill as the revision of the
tariff promised, l believe the party
is doomed to defeat. for one will
then be willing even to swallow
Bryan rather than vote for a party
that so completely ignores the
wishes of the people and it's own
promises.
The expression seems typical of
the general feeling among the peo-
pie in regard to the way the repub-
lican rarty has gone about redeem
ing it's promises. For it seems
that by some hocus pocus the repub-
lican party really succeeded in maxi
ing the voters believe that the re-
publican tariff plank really meant
that the tariff would be revised
downward. This must have been
done by the republican papers and
stump speakers, for any person not
blinded by partisan prejudice could
easily see that the plank was so
worded that it could be interpreted
to mean a revisi On upwards as we'll
as downwards.
The writer is just human enough
to be unable to keep from saying
so. Il told you So" In an
article in the Tribune on july
l, 1908, reviewing the republi-
can platoon he said: For a beauti-
full straddle the republican tariff
plank is entitled to pre-eminence.
AS the plank is worded the republi-
can party could re-enact the Ding
ley bill and even raise some of the
schedules without in any way vio-
lating their platform promise. "
This platform trick, however, does
not remove any responsibility from
the party; it only fastens upon it
the odium of cowardice and decep-
tion. The platform was worded so
as to catch voters by a promise OF
tariff revision, while it assured the
protected monopolists that they
were in no danger of having the
tariff reduced. When the people
begin to study this trick and under
stand how they were duped, they
are likely to become even more in
censed than they would have been
at violation of a direct promise,
for this shows that not only are
their representatives in congress
false to their trust, but that the re-
publican national convention at
Chicago deliberately laid the plan
for such betrayal Of the people.
Revision is generally understood
to mean change, but Aldrich and
his cohorts evidently take the deri-
walton of the word-re, again, and
videre, to lcok-and interpret it to
mean that all that is necessary for
revision is to look at the thing t.
be revised. So they have looked il
over, turned it bottom side up,
taken it to pieces and examined
each part-but to change it, that
was not in their definition of the
word.
| 1t is true that some of the demo.
Gratis in congress have helped AL.
drich and that some of the republi.
cans have opposed him. But that
does not release The republican par
ty from responsibility for its double
dealing and deception. For il
must be borne in mind that the AL
drich bill is the product of THF
REPUBLICAN ORGANIZATION
and that every republican who doe.
not support it's every schedule j:
classified as an ''insurgent" or trai
tor, while the democrats who sup
port the bill are placed in the trai
tors category. When a party or
; ganization deliberately does wrong
it does not release it from it's obi
cation if some individuals of an
other party help it in the act.
Nevertheless, it will be the duty
of the democratic party to purge
itself by retiring the democrat!
who have been false to the direct
and unequivocal declaration of it!
principles. If it allows those trait
ors to retain their position in the
councils of the party. then the dem
ocratic party must indeed be helc
to be an accomplice:
#
| President Taft has come to the
rescue of the men with big in
come, on whom it was proposed to
lay an income tax. Taft propose:
instead tax on the net earnings
of corporations. A bill for that
purpose, drawn up under the direc'
tion of Taft and Root has beer in.