The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1909-04-01

Aldrich knows his masters crib and
knows that crib is not the White
House. What the bill will look like
when it returns from the senate butch
ers not even the widest imagination
can picture, but the general opinion is
that it will suffer a, change greater
even than did it's renowned father
when he lost his whiskers.
What Was Done to the Wilson Bill.
William L. Wilson once got up fine
tariff bill in the house, but by the time
Arthur Pue German and some of his
senatorial friends had finished with it
the only thing that poor Wilson recog-
nfzed about his bill was it's name. Ev-
erything else except the enacting
clause had had things done to it. Pres
ident Cleveland was so incensed at the
changes that he would not sign the
measure, but let it become law with
out his signature. 1t is to be hoped
that President Taft will find no such
bantling left upon his doorstep.
A revision ofthe American tariff is
always an important thing for the en-
tire commercial world, to say nothing
of the world Of politics. The present
revision is even more noteworthy in
that it constitutes the first big policy
of a new administration. The prepara-
lions for the event went forward many
months. Mr.. Payne's committee had
innumerable meetings in Washington,
which were livened up by such famous
humorists as Andrew Carnegie, who
said in effect that the tariff might as
well be abolished since he already had
his. Why Mark Twain was not called
is not apparent.
The ancient, honorable and perennial
nature of the tariff is Indicated by Mr..
Payne himself when he says:
''Our tariff system of today, viewed
entirely apart from any political as
pect it may have and solely as a we'll
established economic policy Of the gov
eminent, is the outgrowth Of over a
hundred years of experience The tar
if question was agitated. in the United
States long before the adoption Of the
federal constitution
The word tariff is supposed to
have been derived from the name of
the town Tarifa, Spain, where vessels
passing were compelled to pay tribute.
Punsters have said that it comes
from terrific, but the tariff costs too
much money to be treated with levity.
However innocent the word was in it's
infancy, it has grown hardened in sin.
1t has also been hardened by the pro-
family hurled at it by travellers and
importers. The tariff has been sworn
at in all languages and from the most
remote ages. AS custom houses are sit
uated on the frontier, the nations
blessed with tarif-and cursed for it
have been literally ringed with blue.
What the Tariff Is Good For.
Port duties have not only caused
picturesque and diffuse blasphemy, but
have swelled the ranks Of the Ananias
club. What traveller ever failed to lie
about the contents Of his baggage to
the inquisitive custom house officials,
and what traveller who did lie ever
failed to get caught at it when the
custom house officials tumbled his be-
longings all over the premises? There
Is only one good thing about the sys-
tenn, and that is having ones bags
plastered all over with aristocratic
looking foreign labels. When a man
can sport stickers of all kinds and
sizes on his suit case it let's the world
know that he has been somewhere.
The tariff we have with us ALWAYS.
The first political speech ever heard
was on the tariff. The last listened
to few months ago had the tariff as
it's chief theme. Presidents have come
and have gone, new issues have arisen
and disappeared, generations have
been born, reproduced their kind and
been gathered to their fathers, but the
tariff has remained. 1t was with us
when the constitution was formed: it
is with us bigger than ever at this
present hour. If it is not immortal it
is at least UNRELIABLE. Like Tennyson's
brook, it can sing:
For men may come and men may 20.
But I 60 on forever.
To paraphrase a recent utterance Of
Joseph Pulitzer concerning a former
president of the United States in
Pul1tzers newspaper, an admission is
an incident; the tariff is an institution.
The first event of the administration
Of William Mckinley twelve years ago
was an extra session Of congress to
revise the tariff. The first event Of the
administration of William Howard
TAFT is an extra session Of congress to
revise the tariff. To make the parallel
still closer, each Of these extra ses-.
s1ons was called to meet on March Is.
or eleven days after the new presi-
dents inauguration The result Of the
Mckinley congress was the Dingley
law, which is still on the statute books.
The result Of the Taft congress will be
what?