The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1910-11-17

ocratic policies. Mr.. Clark cannot
afford to remain inactive and nom
commlttal when he takes the reins
OF leadership in his hands in De-
.cember. 1911. for Presidential
campaign will then be upon us. He
and his followers have argued that
the high cost OF living Is due to the
tarif. and they viii naturally as
sumo that the country has accepted
their assurance. They must make
an effort to reduce the cost OF liv-
ing by reducing the 'tarin duties or
stand convicted OF having obtained
office under false pretences.
What course will Mr.. Clark follow
under these circumstances? he has
two Democratic precedents to
choose firm. In the days of Nor
rison and Mills. when the Democrats
controlled the House, but lacked a
majority in the Senate, those free
trade leaders regularly prepared
genral tariff bills for the purpose of
public opinion. Some of
The bills were defeated in the House
itself through the secession of Sam
uel j. Randall and his seml-protect-
list associates, and some were passed
and side-tracked in the Senate. But
Messrs. Morrison, Carlisle and Mills
never shrank from proclaiming
their faith and embodying 1t in
measures intended to show just how
far toward absolute free trade the
Democratic party was willing to go
at any given iuncture. Under the
Crisp-Springer regime from 1891 to
1893, while the House was also
Democratic and the Senate Republic
can, the alternative plan of passing
'pop-gun" bills was tried. the Dem
ocratic majority voting to remove
the duties on certain selected arti-
Giles. like wool and coal. 1t rests
with Mr.. Clark. therefore, to deter
mine whether the tariff shall be re-
modelled as a whole for the purpose
of a campaign exhibit, or whether 1t
shall be remodelled piecemeal.
The Democrats in the House voted
almost solidly at the last session
against eniarging the powers of the
present tariff board. and most OF
them took the position that such a
board was superRuous and should
he abolished. They exhibited little
sympathy with President Tafts pro-
gram of revision in detail in the
light of accurate information re-
garding the differentlal in cost of
production here and abroad. The
average Democrat has little use for
such information. because he doesn't
care much what the differences in
cost OF production may be. and
wants TO have revenue duties levied
on articles OF consumption. The
Taft administration will probably
he prepared by December, 1911. to
recommend changes in several
schedules based on scientific in
restigation OF production values.
Mr.. Clark will have to meet that
challenge and show the country
where he stands, either by attempt
ing TO modify the administration S
suggestions or to oppose them with
general bill of the Morrison and
Mills pattern. 1t is fortunate that
the prospective speaker is a states
man OF pronounced convictions and
direct methods. We are confident
that it will not he his fault If the
voters do not know before the Pres
idential election OF 1912 what
Democratic revision OF the tariff
would mean. They can vote with
a full appreciation of the conse-
quences of turning over the Senate
and the Presidency to the Democ-
racy.