Arizona republican., 1911-07-06
Reciprocity a Long Rope.


 dent Taft is a politician in either a good or a bad sense Whether or not Ee. possesses the requisite finesse' re has never employed it to his own advantage. His frankness has al most invariably handicapped him. Therefore, any move he has made to his own advantage on the political cheSsboard has been regarGed as an accident. or, We should say, as an incident in his program for the per fcrmance of his duty.
 The happiest, most far-reaching of these accidents, or incidents, has been his conception of Canadian reciproc- ity, which. unpromising as it appeared at first. has strengthened him as nothing else could have done. and has resulted in something else that could not have been contemplated, the dis crediting and wreclling of the insur- gent movement which, a few months ago, was of alarming proportions, growing menace to the president
 But for this effect. not reciprocity. but the insane folly of the insurgent leaders, is responsible. The folly might have been abandoned at an early stage of the struggle without great damage to the progressive movement if the progressive" lead CTS had been observant of the effect upon the people" for whom they had professed so deep solicitude.
 Possessed of a crazy notion that by defeating reciprocity they could deprive the president of the advan- tage which it's success seemed to as- sure. they pursued their way to po- Htical destruction. They allied them selves with a cOterie of standpatters, hateful to the country, and sought in vain to bring the democrats into 8 conspiracy for the defeat of the reciprocity bill, which promised large. though not complete. measure of those reforms, the unsatisfied de- mand for which formed the very Sa- sis of insurgency. If these demands had been needed and there had been even a concession in the siXty-first congress. the Murdock uprising would not have taken place.
 If the insurgent leaders. in oppos- ing reciprocity, had honestly stated that their opposition was directed against the president and not against the principle of reciprocity. they would have found themselves in a better position, for the president was not then so popular as he has since become.
 But they resorted to deception so palpabIe that the people were not fooled. They readily recognized that Messrs. La Toilette, Cummins and Rrlstow were either ignOramuses or demagogues. and, in either case, were unfit leaders. The press of the country, republican, democratic and independent, was quick to turn against them, so that they are now left without any support other than that of the undertaking magazines and newspapers, which do not attempt a defense of their fight against reel procity. but endeavor to show that tariff reform is but a part of the progressive movement.
 It is true that the respectable press is not a unit in favor of reel procity. Some leading republican journals oppose it, but none of them welcome the insurgents as workers in support of the principle of pro- lection.
 Though the opposition in congress almitted it's hopelessness two weeks ago. the insurgents have persisted in their purpose until now, of showing the country" But that purpose IS
 
 on the point of being abandoned though La Toilette will deliver him. self of his long advertised speech In opposition. Bristow, however. has heard from home and will not at tempt further obstruction of the reel procity bill by futile amendments.
 1aff was busted" in its launching and al least a half dozen members of the National Progressive League have informed him that the republicanism of Taft is good enough for them.
 Reciprocity supplied insurgenc! with plenty of rope, and it used it.