The Washington times., 1913-04-06
THE PRESIDENTS PROGRAM.

President Wilson, a scholar and a student, knows
the story of Sir Robert Peel of 1916 and the corn
laws, as we'll as any man in public life. That
much is perfectly plain to anybody who is observing
his course in tariff legislation. He has come to
tertain set of tariff views which, for his party
would have been rated few years ago as danger
ously radical He has not told anybody how radical
he himself considers them. He has talked right
along in terms of moderation and conservatism; he
wants to get the result with the least possible
to business interests He believes if judgment may
be based on his actions, that radical change of
tariff policy, adopted with the least measure of ex-
ctement will for psychological reasons do less harm
to business than a more moderate change accom-
panied by demonstrations calculated to arouse the
worst fears of the business world. Without doubt
there is something in this view; the question is
whether he will be able to do what he wants with
out exciting the industrial community. In short,
the question is whether he do the radical thing
with a soft-voiced, velvet-handed manner that will
disguise the truth and cushion the shock.
Peel conceded to British agriculture the scheme
of a sliding scale of reductions in duties bringing
them down by degrees. The President is represent
ed willing to do this in the case of sugar, which
plainly is become once more the pivot of the tariff
situation.
What Peel did by his revision produced, or got
credit for producing the result he had predicted
Perhaps resumption of potato crops in Ireland Con-
trbuted more to the generally good results than did
the removal of the duties At any rate, Peel
fortunate in that his policy got credit for both
its results and the effects of agricultural i'm
rrovement in the kingdom.
To parallel that condition with our own of today
il is necessary that President Wilson'S revision shall
ease off the costoflivng situation, that other cir
shah do it, and the tariff get some Of
the credit. Only time and a trial can demonstrate
what may be expected in this regard. The fact
stands, that Mr.. Wilson and his party occupy sit
uaton very different from that of Peel. There is
no famine in this country. There mas been no series
of crop failures. There is no ground for hoping
that adventitous support will come to the policy
to that which REINFORCED Peel after the
corn laws had been repealed
President Wilson is evidently convinced that the
country is ready for sharp change of tariff policy
If he has con6dsd to anybody that he would 90 So
far as to veto bill that did not meet his views that
confidence has not been violated to the exent Of
letting the statement have publicity. The impress
sion, base on the Presidents career in New Jersey
is that he would use the veto. That would mean an
appeal to the country in 1914, and the result of such
an appeal is generally regarded pretty certain
Barring the possibility of serious industrial and
financial crisis meantime, it would probably be that
the President would be sustained, and a Congress
back here with instructions to accept the pro-
gram dictated to it from the White House.
Herein lies the strength of Mr. Wilson's position
in dealing with members of his own party. They will
not dare to send him bill that he will dare to veto;
and they don't know at what point he might decide
that veto was safe. They likely to get in these
days of dckering and compromise, just as much
concession he will make; but they not likely
to extort than that, by dint of joining with Re-
publicans to amend the Administration measure.