The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-04-13
LOCAL INTERESTS PROMINENT.

The Democratic Senators from Louis
lana are taking an active part in resist
ing the movement for free sugar. They
are bringing to their support not only
the delegations from Louisiana but also
Senators from other States, and 1t Is
| likely that a substantial combination
can be made among the Democratic
Senators that will protect the local In
terests in sugar, in Lead and zinc, ana
In wool.
II is stated in the dispatches from
Washington that those who are max
! ing protests against the tariff bill as
reported TO the House from the Ways
and Means draft, supervised and ap-
proved by President Wilson, are not
disposed to make any fight IN the House
Of Representatives. It is conceded
that tho Democratic machine Is so
strong there that whatever caucus ac-
ton is taken will be carried in spite
of the opposition of the Representatives
from Louisiana, Missouri, Colorado,
Montana, Oregon. or other States that
may be interested In protecting their
local industries, but which are ropre-
sented by Democratic Senators. The
fight therefore, is hopeless In the
House, and necessarily It 10 ooncen-
trating on the Senate. But there are
enough Democratic Senators from
States vitally interested In protecting
the industries named to defeat any
programme to rush through destructive
tariffs on these articles, or put any Of
them upon the free list. To 60 no far
ther than the Senators from Louisiana,
Missouri, Colorado, Montana, and Ore
gon, all being unanimously Democratic,
it would appear that it ought to be an
easy proposition, even though q few Of
these Senators declined to join the
combination, to unite in general resiH-
tance against threatened cuts on these
specified articles. The five States
named have ten Democratic Senators.
the common defense, that would leave
the Democratic machine but forty one
Senators, while the protectionists would
have fifty.five, so that detection
from this combination Of the Senators
from any one of these five States would
not suffice to break down the solid
wall of opposition to radical cuts as
proposed in the reported Wilson Under
wood bill.
IL is significant that the interests
affected are fully aroused and are
making the fight distinctly and earnest
" upon the Democratic Senators. This
fight, coming from powerful interests
within their own States, will necessarily
have a controlling effect upon these
Democratic members in the Senate.
The matter is shaping, according to
reports from Washington, precisely as
we have anticipated that it would The
Senators referred to, although Demo,
cratic in politics, are still politicians,
and are not likely to antagonize pow
erful interests in their own States, in
terests that not only would jeopardize
the ascendance of the Democratic party
in those States. but that would directly
and effectively antagonize those Sen
ators personally; and that is what
would count with Senators who are also
politicians. They do not court private
life; they would be humiliated to vast
degree If their action should visit upon
them the vengeance Of their States to
the defeat of their party in those
States, and especially to the defeat Of
themselves. The Louisiana Senators in
responding to the demands Of the sugar
interests in Louisiana make neither
hesitation nor disguise in their intent
to beat the Democratic party so far as
the programme contemplates material
cuts on sugar and placing sugar on the
free list at the expiration Of three
years. They will naturally, in order to
carry their point, combine with the
Montana and Oregon Senators, let US
say. on the wool interests and with the
Colorado Senators and the Missouri
Senators in the protection OF lead and
zinc. These Senators are all ambitious.
they know that their offices depend
upon the support that they can get from
their States, and they are not out seek
ing for disaster. They will yield to the
demands of the wool. the sugar, and the
zine and lead interests in their States,
if those demands can be presented so
strongly as to endanger the prospects
of those Senators for reelection, and
that IS precisely the way those Sen
ators will sense the situation, and will
insist on modification Of the pro-
gramme that has been agreed upon by
President Wilson and Chairman Under
wood