Dakota farmers' leader. (Canton, S.D.) 1890-19??, 1910-04-22
The President and Indiana.

Minneapolis Journals President
Taft going to erect Indiana into an
enemy's country? If he does, what
is he going to do about Minnesota,
North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa,
Nebraska and Kansas? None OF
these states is any more likely to in
dorse the Payne bill in terms than
Indiana. II the President makes
such a point of the Beveridge out
break In Indiana that he will not
visit the State during the campaign,
he may soon find himself excluded
from a large part of the Mississippi
Valley.
The Payne bill Is not popular any
where. The President has never
been able to make a dent in the
opposition to it. He has spoken often
and bravely in its defense, and the
people have heard him in sorrow than
In anger. But If he believed their
respectful silence indicated acquie-
scence in his opinions, he made a
mistake.
The Payne law has not gained any
thing in popularity since it was pass
ed. Not even the reports that it is
wiping out the deficit, and that it
admits more imports free than it
taxes: have reconciled the people to
1t. 1t Is not the amount they are
taxed under the bill that Anglers the
people. 1t is the fact that there was
betrayal of implied and clearly under
stood promises to reduce the tariff.
The men who run things at Wash
ington believed that the people were
as ignorant on the tariff question
this time as they have been before,
and that the usual furry Of anger,
which seldom fails to follow the
passage Of a tariff bill, would soon
blow over. They counted without
knowledge this time.
The people have learned about the
tariff. They have learned that many
Of the big interests make their W
rates. which Congress accepts.
They have learned thoroughly to
distrust the Aldrich-C Cannon leader
ship of Congress. They have served
notice that they want a change.
They have practically asked the
President, who was their leader and
their only representative in the
tariff reform campaign before the
Convention, to stand With them now
and they will stand with him to
effect changes in the leadership Of
the House and Senate.
The President has not refused, but
he has hesitated. He has not plunged
in. He has assumed that he could
somehow reconcile the two wings of
the party. He has thus far failed to
do so. He has failed, because he has
not appreciated the character of the
opposition. It is not Beverage in
Indiana, or Murdoch in Kansas, or
Cummins in Iowa. 1t is a majority
Of the Republicans in all these States
who are making the issue. 1t was
the Republicans in these and other
States who forced Cannon off the
Rules Committee. They did it., be-
cause Cannon packed the Conference
Committee on the tariff bill.
We believe the President will make
a mistake in avoiding Indiana. The
people there have no quarrel with
him. They look to him for leader
ship. True, he has said the Payne
bill was the best tariff bill ever passed.
But when the President said that, he
was thinking of the corporation tax,
the tariff commission feature, the
Philippine provision. These were
dear to him. They we're his own
ideas. He never affected to be re-
conciled to the wool schedule. On
the contrary, he denounced it.
Now the Indiana Republicans de-
nounce 1t, too, and they are prepared
to back him up in securing evidence
through q commission which will
break through the wall OF graft that
surrounds it.
The President and the Republicans
Of Indiana have more points Of cor
tact than opposition.