The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-11-24
CHAMP cLARK's BRAsH TALK.


Speaker Champ Clark on radical lines
of tariff reduction cannot be very
dangerous. since President-eect Will
son has expressly declared that he will
not proceed along the lines indicated
by Mr.. Clark Wilson is on record
for conservative, cautious action; Clark
urges drastic, sudden action, cutting
things down to the declarations of the
Democratic platform, rigidly con
strued. IL is very likely that herein
Col. Bryan will agree with Mr.. Clark ;
but IL is not TO be expected that
Prcsident-eleet Wilson would reverse
himself on this question and go over
TO the radical wing OF the party on
that sort of revision.
Mr. Clark declares that the only
thing left for the Democrats 10 do is
TO proceed swiftly and surely on the
strict lines Of the declarations in the
Baltimore platform; but President. elect
Wilson has taken the other side Of the
question, Accordingly, compromise ac.
ton is 70 be expected. Speaker Clark
will, doubtless, DO eager TO have the
House pass general tariff law, super.
seding tho present tariff in all the
schedules, but the Democratic major.
ity in the Senate is too small TO allow
Of any certain reckoning on the pass.
age OF such n bill in that body, In
deed, the probability of the passage Of
q radical tariff law in the Senate, on
the strict revenue only basis, would ap-
pear TO be remote; for the Demo
cratic Senators from Louisiana are sure
10 be found on the protective side for
sugar Other Democratic Senators from
the South are also on record IN the
past as in favor Of protection on GER
tain local products; and President elect
Wilson is emphatically on record as
in favor OF caution, conservatism, and
of doing nothing that will disturb bust
ness conditions by way of checking the
prosperity that the country now so e1-
tensively enjoys
1t is idle for Speaker Clark TO say
that a Democratic tariff bill, drastic,
radical, meeting fully the pledge Of
the Democratic platform, would not
disturb business. It would certainly
not only disturb business, it would pros
trate it; for business is adjusted now
to the protective tariff laws, and as
Governor Wilson has said, any sweep
ing and sudden change would be sure
TO affect business unfavorably. But
if the tariff should be radically revised
throughout. all forms OF business would
be affected unfavorably, and that
would mean depression and gloom.
The business sense of the leading
Democrats viii undoubtedly come to
the rescue and prevent the drastic,
bone scraping revision that Speaker
Clark bankers after, and that, no doubt,
BRYAN would approve. Bryan and Clark
are nt enmity on personal account, be-
cause il was Bryan s action, undoubt-
edly. that defeated Clark for the Demo
cratic nomination, and Clark plainly
sees now that If he had been nom
mated he would have been elected.
Therefore, it will be impossible for him
10 forgive Bryan. while he viii CO
operate with him in demanding drastic
revision OF the tariff. But in this
neither win DO acting In the interests
of President elect Wilson; and it will
not bo difficult for him 10 SEQ that
tho Clark proposition means no good to
him.
SO we conclude that although Mr..
Clark ia radical, and though Colonel
Bryan will probably join him in this
radicalism, it is not in the least likely
that President~elect Wilson viii CO
iucide in their views This also seems
TO bo the business view throughout
the country, since there is NO iudica-
tion that business men are taking very
seriously the drastic propositions that
como from Clark aud Bryan. On the
contrary, business is booming along
putting its reliance in the declarations
Of President-elect Wilson, and we be-
lieve il is fully justified in doing so