The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1911-01-13
That Tariff Commission.


ly regarding legislation, Eand one can
hardly believe 8 that president Taft
authorizes some of these announce
ments. Fer instance, it is given out
that the chief aim of the President at
this session Of Congress is the enact
ment of law for tariff commission
for 1.-The need of the lpresent moment
is to show the voters Eof the country
that,the Republican party is the best
medium for dealing with the affairs of
the nation" From this we might in
fer that the proposed tariff commission
is an entirely partisan matter, al
though it is to ,be styled "Lcn-parti-
san y" but it is :intended to fool the
voters once more into believing that
the Republican party ''isI thel best
medium for dealing" with tariff re-
form. Evidently the Presidential ad-
visers are trying TO play the same
game on the President that they1 have
advised him to play on the people.
And the people must be shaking their
sides with laughter when they remem-
Der that the Republicans have just re-
yised the tariff. and that president
Taft declared last summer at Winona
that the Payne-Aldrich bill is the best
tariff measure ever enacted by the Re-
publican party. If that was true then
it must be true now. and the need for
Republican tariff commission must be
for partisan politics only.
The Republican party. including
President Taft, can have no need for
tariff commission unless il can be used
to give some lame ducks a chance to
get at the public crib; for after
March 4th the Republicans will have
no power to inaugurate tariff reform
because the Democrats will be in COM
mand of the House of Repre- sentatives
where all tariff bills must originate.
The Democrats can rave no use for a
tariff commission that they cannot CON
troll, and whose members are not in
unison with the Democratic plan of
tariff for revenue; for the information
that such commission would gather,
or any advice that it might give. would
very naturally accord with the Rerub-
lican party that appointed it.
If the President has been converted
to the Democ, attic position on the tar
if and now really believes that tariff
reform is necessary, and wants the
tariff commission to save This face, so
to say, and world be willing to appoint
majority of real tariff reformers on
the commission, then the Democrats
might be willing to help MIN out by
voting for the bill. But from the
Democratic standpoint of a tariff for
revenue, there is quite enough evidence
in existence to prove its necessity, ard
the only help needed is to to adjust
the several schedules so that both the
manufacturer and the consumer will
be accorded exact justice, and the
plundering "theoryr'of protection
shall be laid On the.shelf where it can
no longer be invoked to protect the
special interests" OF to rob the tax
payer.
The single fact that Aldrich. Can
non. Payne and the other standpatters
have suddenly commenced to favor a
tariff commission. when at the last
session of Congress,they were utterly
opposed to it, is evidence enough that
it is partisan purpose which they
hope to effect. The game evidently is
to make the insurgents believe that
through President Taft-the .stalwarts
consenting-the Republican party is to
go on record as favoring a tariff com.
mission. and then show the voters that
the Republican party is united, and
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