New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-09-10
UNCOVERING HIMSELF.

Governor Wilson showed a lamen-
table lack of political finesse in attack
ing ex-senator Jim Smiths tariff
record. 1t was ali right TO denounce
Mr. Smith as an ex-boss and Il typical
machine politician. The Governor
had already found playing that card
profitable and popular. But he laid
himself open TO crushing rejOinder
when he abused Mr.. Smith for practis-
ing with a great deal of courage in the
Senate in 1894 exactly the policy which
the present Democratic candidate for
President has been propounding in
1912.
If Mr.. Wilson had not been slOshing
around recently at Buffalo and in this
city, trying to give workmen in the
manufacturing industries the impress
sion that he is opposed to the sort of
tariff reduction which will hurt any
body. and arguing that as Democrats
are interested in all the industrial en-
terprises now conducted on Il protec-
tive basis it is absurd to think that
they would be willing to ''injure them
selves economically" there might be
some excuse for his taking this high
and mighty tone with Mr.. Smith:
II is Of particularly sinister import
that Mr.. Smith should seek to return
TO the Senate Of the United States at
this time He was sent TO the Senate
once before when the tariff had been
the chief issue of the national campaign
and when the Democrats had for once
in a generation an opportunity TO re-
lieve the people of intolerable burdens
and the industry Of the country of the
trammels which bound 1t like q strait
jacket Mr. Smith was one Of
a small group OF Senators calling them
selves Democrats who at that critical
and hopeful juncture in our politics ut
terly defeated the programme of the
party. His election now might bring
the party face to face with similar
disaster and disgrace and would un-
questionably render the satisfactory
administration of the federal functions
In New Jersey all but impossible for
a Democratic President.
But what Mr.. Smith did in 1894 is
exactly what Mr.. Wilson is talking
about doing next year If he Is elected
President and q Democratic Congress
is chosen to cooperate with him in re-
vising the tarif1. He has been contend
ing, except when speaking TO the farm
ers that tariff revision must proceed
very slowly and very cautiously Bust
ness must not be embarrassed and
tariff revisers must get 1t out Of their
heads that anything approaching free
trade is possible of realization within
generation. Now. anybody who is
familiar with the history of the tariff
legislation of 1894 knows that. whether
interestedly or disintereStedly, Mr..
Smith stood for exactly those ideas in
combating the crude. sweeping and de-
structive changes made in the tariff
schedules by William l.. Wilson and
the House Democrats.
The critical schedule in the Wilson
bill was the sugar schedule The House
made sugar free and struck down both
the long established Louisiana cane in
dustry and the promising beet sugar in
dustry, then in its infancy. Mr. Smith
stood with Mr.. German for the resto-
ration Of a fairly protective duty on
sugar, the revenue from which was
also sorely needed by the Treasury.
He was entirely right according to the
doctrines of moderation and regard for
existing enterprises which Governor
Wilson is now preaching
Is the Democratic candidate willing
to say now that he favors the abolition
of all duties on sugar? The House Of
Representatives passed free sugar bill