The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-03-26
THE PARTY WRECKERS.

of Senators Smoot and Sutherland by
stating that they have always sup
ported President Taft. This, Of course,
tive agent Of Aldrich in the bogus
tariff revision bill of 1909 and was the
man who made no lapse in his unvary-
ing support Of every ono Of Aldrich s
propositions. He ranged himself with
Aldrich on every vote, and Sutherland
was close second. The sentiment
which they followed was that which
sneered at President Taft for his prom,
ise in his campaign speeches that in
accordance with the pledge in the Be-
publican National platform of 1908 the
tariff would be revised downward. And
yet in 1909 the Republican Senate of
the United States mockiugly turned the
cold shoulder to this pledge, contemptu-
ously disregarded it. and sustained the
insulting query that demanded to know
who it was who had dared to pledge the
Senate to downward revision
In his steady and unvaryiug support
of Aldrich, Smoot had some extremely
unpleasant experiences, as in the razor
instance, where he claimed that good
razors sold for three to four dollars
each in this country. Senator Stone of
Missouri overwhelmed him with the
price list of a department store in St.
Louis which rated the best razors for
9S cents. And so Smoot, knowing lit.
tie about the tariff. made himself ri
diculous on many occasions, but he was
a steadfast, unvarying supporter of the
sentiment for revision upward. and for
the condemnation Of President Taft in
his pledge that the revision should be
downward
The very idea Of calling a specia!
session of Congress to deal with the
tariff question necessarily implied that
the tariff burdens upon the country
were to be relieved. The complaint
that caused the calling of that special
session was that the tariff was too high.
unnecessarily burdensome and irksome
to the people; and yet the Senate made
the tariff yet higher moro burdensome
and more irksome. The idea carried
through all Of the Senate s dealing with
the tariff question at the special ses-
sion of 1909 was that President Taft
should be shown lesson; that he was
not in position to pledge anything
for the Senate. and that in so far as
he had undertaken to do So the Senate
would ''show him - 1t did show him
and it wrecked the Republican party.
And Smoot and Sutherland were con.
spicuous in the stand-pat majority. At
the election in the succeeding wear the
Democrats won a tremendous triumph
and the Congress elected that year was
in fact a Democratic Congress, the
Democrats having an immense majority
in the House and by the aid Of the Gin
surgent" Senators were able to paralyze
the Republican strength in the upper
chamber.
Later, when President Taft proposed
schedule by-schedule revision Of the
tariff on Republican lines, while the
Republicans were yet in control Of both
houses Of Congress, Smoot made a very
long speech in the Senate, the drift of
which was to demonstrate that the
Taft proposal for schedule by schedule
revision was impossible. And vet we
are now told that he was firm sup
porter of President Taft's tariff
policy,
The Tribune has contended and still
contends, that the Utah Senators. hav-
ing helped to steer the party upon the
rocks, well knowing that they were do
ing so, understanding perfectly that
they were violating party pledges, com
pretending without mistake that in
overw helming the Republican President
with confusion they were disorgapizing
the party, yet they still persisted in
their course, and in their perverse obsti,
macy turned the coutrol of the country
over to the Democratic party. We
have said heretofore, and we say now,
that men who do this are not compe.
tent party leaders, and it is unfit that
they should claim TO be such. But it
is fit that they should step aside and
give room for those of better Judgment
and more fidelity 10 party principles.
In its last extremity, the Smoot or
gan insists that these two Senators
have been faithful to their party in
Utah, and that their party has been
faithful to them. IF it is being faith.
ful to party to drive away about
third Of its membership, and re.
duce the party TO mere plurality as
compared with the Democratic party
and the rebellious fragment, then in
deed is the local party leadership of
these men to be commended; but in
fact it is Of the same character as their
l., dor.Li-. -. al.n Nalinn.i ..urt,. TLc