The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1912-11-13
WEDNESDAY. NOVEMBER 10, 1912
CALL AN EXTRA SESSION.

An extra session Of congress to revise the
tarif In accord with the prediction promises
81 Governor Wilson and the Democratic party
ID being demanded by many OF the leaders
in congress and a large portion OF the Demo-
cratic press. There some who favor de-
iay. declaring that there should be no hasty
legislation on the subject, and in this view
il lis natural that Republicans should Join'
Tor they oppose any legislation Whatever,
What we do moi want We wish to put OF.
There is always the possibility that it will
not have to be doce at all AS the New York
World remarks these know that The voice
G of the people as heard last Tuesday will grow
fainter and fainter with each passing month"
and for that reason they oppose early action,
hoping that the longer the revision OF the
& tariff is delayed the better the chance OF pre-
venting real revision.
That Republicans and other high protcc-
Inc. but those Democrats who are opposing
~ extra session should consider we'll the effect
s. ~ delay at the beginning OF Cleyeiand's ad-
ADMINISTRATION. Mr. Cleveland was beset on all
hands after his election in 1892 by opposing
forces, the urging the cali OF an extra
session to deal with the tariff and the other
advising delay Mr.. Cleveland hesitated and
was lost He took no action and when con-
gress finally met the following December the
opponents of real revision managed to stife
the demand for revision and to adopt tariff
hill which Mr. Cleveland declined to approve,
vithholding his signature. Part perfdy
and dishonor' he characterized the action of
n senator German and his supporters who had
ernaseulated the Wilson bill. Not only was
tariff revision defeated and makeshift
y measure adopted, but business unrest, which
the sincere advocates of delay had hoped to
prevent, was the direct result, The same cry
Ii. being raised now. Early action, We are
told, will upset business, while six months OF
quiet and rest will enable business TO adjust
itseif to conditions and to prepare for re-
vision which Is to come. The fallacy OF this
argument lies In the fact that business can
not adjust itself until 1t learns upon what
basis readjustment must take place Business
cannot prepare to do business upon the basis
of new tariff schedules until 1t knows what
those schedules are to be. Radical revision
at once is not expected and business is not
greatly troubled just now by the prospects,
but it is necessarily concerned to some ex-
tent . Full development is impossible until
the manufacturers know exactly TO what ex-
tent the protection they now enjoy will be
withdrawn They can continue in operation
because satisfied that they will not have all
protection Withdrawn at once, If at all, bu-
they cannot be expected TO plan ahead for
Increased output until they are able TO esti-
mate prices at which they must buy and sell
and conditions under which they must
operate There is no danger OF panic. hui
there is no prospect of development until the
: tariff is revised and the longer the delay the
longer business especially the manufacturing
establishments must continue to mark time.
5s There is no danger OF hasty legislation in
ar early session: The Democrats have been
in control of the lower house for two years
They have drawn and passed number OF
tariff bills. They have their program partially
marked out The leaders and many OF the
members of the next congress are well ac-
aoain,ed with the tariff question. They are
4 In possession of facts and figures They viii
know as much in April as they will Know
next December. and the desired bill can he
framed and passed this coming summer as
easily az six or eight months later. More-
oser. in the spring and summer of 1919 the
new house will be fresh from the people.
h Their campaigns will be over and they viii
have a sureease from politics and political
campaigning, while in the following year the
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