Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1910-03-31
Gatherings Of State Bodies Are
Especially Interesting at
This Time.
TARIFF QUESTION UPPERMOST
President Anxious That Republican
Meetings Shall Indorse the Meas
ure-lncome Tax Chances
Roots Letter to Roosevelt
Third Term Issue.

a good many states that are normal
| ly Republican, or In most Of which at
| least the Republicans have more than
| q fighting chance of victory, Will hold
conventions for the adoption OF plat
forms and the nomination Of state Of
ficials. AS President Taft showed In
his letter to the Republican editors
in Illinois, he is anxious that his ad-
mfnistration as whole, shall be In
dorsed by the conventions, and that
specific mention shall be made In
words Of commentator of the Payne
Aldrich tariff bill.
This desire Of the president to have
the Republicans Of the different states
officially indorse the measure to
which he gave his own sanction when
he signed 1t, and later in his speech
at Winona, Minnesota, is likely to be
provocative of trouble in perhaps a
majority of the conventions. The In
diana state convention will be held
soon, and there perhaps the question
Of whether or not to indorse the tariff
act, is the most crucial.
1t was supposed until recently, that
Mr.. Taft would rest content with a
strong Endorsement of his administra-
ton generally, and would not press
upon Republicans the necessity of CIV
ing specific sanction to the tariff bill,
but the president seemingly has in
mind a thought that inasmuch as tho
tariff law is a party act, any ignoring
of 1t in convention resolutions would
be tantamount to an actual DECLARE
/ &hoA h. ,A- L..
is not satisfied with the measure.
Not All Pleased with Bill.
1t is not at all partisan view, for
the facts are too plain to be denied,
that there is in the Republican ranks
in some places, decided dissatisfaction
with some of the provisions of the
Payne-Aldrich tariff bill. The admin
istration knows this, and all the men,
bers of the administrators party
know It, and the party members real
lie and say publicly that the situation
which will confront them in the state
conventions is delicate one.
There are several high.tariff Repub-
licans who formerly were members OF
congress, and whose terms of office
expired last March, who have been in
Washington to tell the president that
while 1t is possible that they were de-
feated because they were high tariff
men, 1t is nevertheless true that the
standpat element of the party, even
in the states where downward re-
vision principles are popular, is still
strong, and that this element would
resent at the polls any attempt to
sidetrack resolutions indorsing all Of
the acts of the administration, inclu-
ding of course, that which led to the
signing of the tariff bill.
The revision-downward Republicans,
especially those from states where
the situation Is such as It is In Indi.
ana, say that If the Payne-Aldrich
tariff bill is Endorsed in the state con.
ventions, thousands upon thousands Of
Republicans either will stay away
from the polls or will go there to vote
the Democratic ticket. So it is that
the president has had both sides of
the matter put up to him and he has
been forced to determine what to do.
He apparently thinks that because the
tariff bill was a Republican measure,
the members Of the party, even
though they do not like the tariff law,
should smother their dislikes and be
willing to have the measure Endorsed
as one to which the party has given
its adherence.
The Situation In Indiana.
In Indiana when some of the Repub-
lican district conventions were held
for the purpose of choosing state COM
mitteemen, the administration was
given support in resolutions, but as
far as the tariff was concerned the
delegates contented themselves with
commencing President Taft for his
earnest efforts to secure a real tariff
commission. The Democrats and some
Of the high-tarifr Republicans, say
that this was simply beating the devil
around the stump, and that the sim
Cling out Of the tarfff commission eff
forts of the president for appreciation,
simply resulted In calling sharp atten-
ton to the fact that words of praise
for the main tariff act had been with
held.
1t is Impossible yet to tell what the
Indiana State Republican convention
will do In the matter of the tarifi. The
Democrats say they do not care much
whether the Hoosier Republicans in
dorse the tariff act or not, for If 1t is
Endorsed the low-tarif Republicans
viii be disgruntled and II it is not In
dorsed the disgruntlement viii be that
! Of the high-tarif Republicans The
Democrats seem to see victory for
themselves either way. On the other
, hand the Republicans declare that
? their party always has had the ability
, to get together when the danger of
, being split asunder seemed most i'm,
| minent, and they expressAthe belief
that history win repeat itself In the
ear future.
Chances for Income Tax.
South Carolina recently ratified thu