The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-05-13
Who Threatened Retaliation
at Polls
TOLD DO AS THEY PLEASED
Politicians Wonder What Will Come
Next-Will Increased Favor of the
Ultimate Consumer Overcome the
Farmers Hostility in 1922

Washington, May l3.Notling that
has happened in Washington in recent
months has caused more Of a stir among
the politicians than the speech made
the other day to representatives of the
grange by President Taft Reduced to
the language that everybody under.
stands, the president told the gentle.
men representing the grange who called
on him and told him about the dangers
OF reciprocity to the farmer, and IN ef-
/ feet held the club Of political retalia-
/ ton over his head that if they did not
like it they could do as they pleased
about 1t.
OF course, when president INDUCES
in such plain speaking as this, the poll
iticians hold up their hands and won
der what is to come OF it all. Just
now they are saying that the effect of
this speech viii be to bury President
Taft 50 deep in ballots in the elections
Of next year that he will not be able
to get out for months,
As matter OF fact, the politicians
have been talking with great franbness
about the case OF President Taft tor
months. Most Of them agree that he
win not bere -elected-provided the Demo-
Gratis nominate a strong candidate. The
Democratic politicians, of course aver
this. and most of the regular Repub-
licans say the same thing. Some of
the regulars want the president TO sue
coed himself, and Others do not As
for the insurgent Republicans, most of
them want him defeated.
In general way, this represents the
situation as it has existed for many
weeks; and the opponents Of Taft new
say that his advocacy of reciprocity,
and especially his virtual defiance of
the farmers who are against reciprocity,
greatly accentuates his difficulties
But there Ii another side to the sit
uation In the first place, ii is clear
that only part Of the farmers are OPP
posed to the Canadian agreement In
the second place, the question is raised
TO what extent President Taft, by his
fight for reciprocity, il going to rally
to his support the ultimate consumers of
the United States who live in the cities
and towns The agitation OF the tariff
question to-day is due to the protest of
the ultimate consumers against the high
cost OF living Without doubt, the char
aeter of the population Of the country
is changing. The United States is be-
coming a nation in which the number of
consumers is growing by leaps and
bounds, while the number OF producers
is relatively diminishing
President Taft, in his advocacy Of reci-
procity, has taken the side. Ii is gener-
ally considered, OF the consuming pub
lie. This raises the question in pc.
litical way whether the consumers Of
the country are going to stand by him.
In other words, the question is whether
the president win gain as much support
--oT more-from the consumers as he is
going to lose from those producing ele-
ments that oppose reciprocity or any re-
duction Of tariff duty.
President Taft himself is not looking
for anything but loss of votes from the
advocates of reciprocity. He did not
take the matter up for the sake of politi.
cal advantage He realizes as well as
any one that he viii probably suffer Sc
we're political consequences. Still, it
might happen to turn out the other way.
And this is what the political WISE
acres are wondering about.