The Lynden tribune. [volume] (Lynden, Wash.) 1908-current, 1912-09-05

In reviewing progressive legislation
and the progressive fight during the
session of the 62nd Congress, which
closed last week, it will be found that
the principal fight of the progress
sive Republicans has been y elimin-
ate the political boss and the political
machine from our governmental fab
ric. The progressive Republican has
stood and now stands for freedom
of individual action, from the private
citizen to the highest office in the
nation. He believes that members Of
congress should follow the dictates of
their own consciences and should be
absolutely uncontrolled and uninflu-
enced by any combination of men or
!, interests. He is, therefore, opposed
| to the secret caucus, and much of the
fight that has been waged in congress
by the Progressives has been against
caucus control. The machine in the
house, under Republican rule, con-
trOlled the action of members to a
great extent, by patronage and by the
power of committee appointments. In
dividuals were cOerced into submitting
to control. because they knew that it
they refused to follow the dictation of
the boss, they would be deprived Of
committee appOintn ents and lose all
control Of patronage.
The Progressives were in favor of
the redemption Of. the Republican
pledge to reduce the tariff to basis
of the difference of the cost of prOduc-
tion here and abroad. In the making
up OF the Payne bill they fought every
step of the way and took advantage of
every parliamentary situation to re-
deem the pledge of the Republican
party in good faith. 1t was due to the
fight which they made that some re-
ductions were allowed by this BILL
After they had exhausted every effort,
some of the Progressives voted against
the bill while others, believing that
1t was an improvement over the Ding
ley law, voted for it, with the ex-
pressed intention Of improving every
opportunity that might subsequently
arise to reduce the tariff to the proper
basis, and it was on this theory that
the Progressive Republicans voted for
practically all of the bills to revise
different schedules of the same law.
We have before the country quite a
. good illustration of the difference be-
&ween Progressive Republicans and
Progressive Democrats. The house
passed bill revising the sugar sched-
ule. They agreed upon their bill in
caucus. The bill went to the senate
and was amended by the substitution
of q new bill. The senate bill pro-
vides for the elimination of the in
iquitous Dutch standard OF color test
and also the differential, the two
strongholds of the sugar trust. 1t is
conceded that the Dutch standard col
or test and the differential, two propo-
sitions that have been in both Repub-
lican and Democratic sugar tariffs for
many years, constitute the backbone
of the sugar trust.
These two propositions have en-
abled this gigantic t,vst to exact from
the American people millions and mil
lions of dollars. Since the inven-
ton of the pOlariscope, scientiflc
way of testing sugar, there has been
no more excuse for the Dutch stand
ard and color test than for the fi1th
wheel to a wagon. In addition to
this, the senate bill provides for re-
duction of thirty points In the tariff.
The passage of the senate bill IN TINS
form would mean saving to the
sugar consuming public of America
twenty millions of dollars annually,
and would practically break up anu
annihilate the sugar trust. This SEN