Bluefield evening leader. [volume] (Bluefield, W. Va.) 1906-1911, 1910-09-20
WiNoNA, AND a YEAR LATER

/
/ WiNONA. AND A YEAR LATER
The Saturday Evening Post. founded
by Benjamin Franklin. is an indepen
dent. non-partisan weekiy. with the
ability to size up a politicl. situation
with great accuracy. l, says:
Discussing the new tarifr act M
Winona just year ago. President
TAFT said: III had vetoed tho bill
1t would have left the party in con.
dition OF decentralization.
! Our friends, the Democrats. wouId
have applauded and then laughed in
their sleeves at the condition I'm which
the party would have been left But
more than that, and waving consid.
erations OF party. where would the
country have been? 1t would have
LETT the question of tariff revision
open FOR discussion during the next
session and suspended the settling
down OF our business to n known has.
is upon which prosperity could pro-
coed"
Has anybody lately caught Demo-
crat laughing in his sleeve at the con
dltion in which the Republican partv
was left by the signing of the tarir
Dill? No sleeve will hold Demo
Gratis hilarity nowadays. He needs
balloon to laugh in. A veto might
nave caused some decentralization in
Rhode Island and Pennsylvania-neg
HSlDIe states from the point Of view
.ot Republican strategy-but we would
hardly have seen Indiana. Iowa. Kan
sas. California and Wisconsin in full
revolt. True, the tariff would have
been Hhe subject of further discus
sion; but if ii isn't a subject of furtb-
or discussion now, what is?
In y/lr the President has seen
new light on the tariff. He knows
from treasury reports that the act did
not effect Substantial downward
revision Of duties" On the contrary
duties are practically as high as they
were before.
Warming for Scientific Tariff.
AT Winona the President said also;
Ihe Ways and Means Committeeof
the House spent fun year investi.
eating and assembling evidence IN
reference to the rates under the tar
lf, and devoted an immense amount
or work to the study OF the question
where the rates could be reduced and
where o,It 10 L,
view to maintaining a reasonable pro.
tective rate under the principles of
The party platform"
Yet, according to press reports
these painstaking and Herculean la
bors Of Mr.. Payne's committee are
now described by Senator Lodge with
implied disapproval as the "old. I'm.
scientific method" Of tariff revision.
A year ago the Senator found the
fruits Of that method quite admirable:
but since then it has borne, further
fruit in the shape of a revolt among
Massachusetts Republicans. which
threatens his tenure OF comfortable
seat in the Senate. Naturally he be-
gins to entertain lively doubts.
The method mentioned by the Pres.
ident and the Senator is precisely the
one by which the Republican party
has been framing tariffs for moro
than forty years. So long rs It's re-
cults were merely Furnishing trusts
On the one hand and mulcted consum-
ers on the other, the stalwart wing
OF the party maintained that it was
the best Of methods. But in the face
of this political upheaval. which bids
'''r to drive them from power. they
are able to sec it in a quite new and
unexpected light
We shouldn't be surprised if Uncle
Joe himself should soon come out
strong for a tariff constructed i'm such
a scientific manner that it would not
explode and blow worthy old gentle.
man out Of Office.