Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1913-05-27
A PRINCE OF sTANDPATTERs.

President Wilson will neither ot
fer nor accept compromise in th
making Of a new tariff law. In tn
complexities Of tariff-making, state:
manship has always found it politi
to concede details which do not i'm
pair the vitality Of the general prin
ciple, observes the St. Louis Globe
Democrat. In dealing with many in
dustries, affected by many varyinl
conditions and environments. and al
Of them to be dealt with in their re
lation to the subject Of public rev
enue, some readjustments have al
most always been found necessary
Changes are sometimes forced BY f.
nancial necessities. Again, they may
grow out Of political necessitie,
which compel a yielding at some
points as a means Of getting the
votes necessary to enact a measure.
Sir Robert Peel compromised with
the opposition more than once before
he reached an uncompromising posi-
tiOn, which he did not take until be
had a mandate from the country.
Has Mr. Wilson such a mandate
None such is written in the full re-
turns Of the November election. vet
we find Mr.. Wilson more uncompro-
missing toward the advocates of pro-
lection than the British prime min
ister was until he had the warrant Of
a dominant public opinion. Mr..
Wilson finds himself elected to office
on a platform declaring tariffs for
protection to be unconstitutional. He
finds, too, a Democratic majority in
both houses Of the Congress elected
on the same declaration. The Dem
Ocrats can not fairly be charged
with any cOncealmeut Of their pur-
pose. Nor are We disposed to be
captious in criticism of Mr.. Wilson :
present uncompromising attitude.
Talking with several score Washing
ton correspondents on Thursday, /.
while the Senate was in the prelim- .
inaries Of taking up the House tariff .
bill, he said: ~ am not the kind .
that considers compromises when | /
have once taken my position. l have
taken my stand with the House lead
ers for the present bill Enough
said. | am not looking for or ac-
cepting compromises. +"
This bold uttCrance could not have
been addressed to the Republican
in the Senate. The Repub-
licans have never entertained hope
that any concession would be made
as a result Of their opposition. In the
Senate, as in the House, they will ,
oppose the enactment Of the bill into {
law only "a reasseTtion Of their I
party principle which, as asserted 9
asst year in two platforms made by y
Republicans, received very great
majority in the popular vote The
'eeord Of opposition they are making {
n Congress, however. is not being !,
made with any hope Of changing ~
he plans Of the Democratic admins i
ration, nor do they find fault with n
he president for insisting that an d
f the Democrats elected with him e.
n the Baltimore platform shall stand b
nth him in enforcing it. Their po- /
ltlon grows ont of the assurance "a
hey find in the official returns that y
he country is very far from reject =.
lg their party doctrine, and out of ;,
he political necessity of making a K
acord in opposition. The president 5 m
of ono compromise"
an have been addressed 10 none
ther than a small group of Demo n
rats IN the Senate who are known OF
} be asking for notifications Of the =
Underwood bill, and who have care y,
llly created an impression that they "
ill, If all compromises are rejected. go
'te with the Republicans in forcing n
me material amendments. What ed
e president has Just said is. or now
ems TO be, a challenge To them 10 Ia
their worst He will concede -
'thing. lie Is "staudmg Pat" on Ph
mediate free wool and early free
gar Il grew fashionable. wear
two ago. to dub Republicans
inding for the protection demand Ca
by a popular majority of mil
u and a quarter in 1898 as stand --=
tiers" With that popular pro
'tion majority in no way reduced.
r Wilson is standing pat' for
e trade. In uueompromising wavs
make an Republican "standpat-
:" shrink in comparison. And. Da
lly. he has the night 20 stand pat
has the caris. There was q fault
the deal lint n vras rrf I5-