The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1913-05-23
COMMENT ON
CONGRESS-

CONGRESS-.
The kernel Of all that is going on
in Washington at this moment can Le
conveyed to the country by telling
the story of a single episode:
The Underwood bill puts a duty of
thirty-fve cents a box on oranges.
When this figure was made known,
the following frantic telegram was
sent by an organization which calls
itself the Florida Citrus Exchange to
one of the two Florida Senators, Ma
than P. Bryan, at Washington:
Remember that the welfare of 10O,-
600 Floridians and the safety Of
$1O0,0OO,OOO capital in Florida is Sc
riouSly jeopardlzed by any reduction
in tariff on oranges; and, believing
that it is your pleasure as well as
your duty to safeguard such vital
interests in your state, we beg to no.
tify that tariff of one cent a pound
on oranges and grapefruit is not pro-
tective, but is necessary for the life
of the citrus interests Of Florida.
Thus far the telegram is not so
bad, although mpudent enough; but
the Florida Citrus Exchange went on
to make the invitation to dishonor
explicit and hortatory. Considering
all the circumstances some of the
phrases in this telegram add much
to the joy of nations:
Louisiana has notified US that their
Senators will help us on citrus tariff
if you will help their Senators on
sugar. Will you consult with both
Louisiana and Mississippi Senators in
this matter, and see if such an al |
lance can be safely arranged?
These Florida people are asking
their Democratic Senator to do ex-
actly what Senator Aldrich used to
do. And it ought not to take long |
Democratic memory to recall the fate
that Aldrich's acts brought upon the |
Republican party (By the way, OBJ
serve one word in the Florida Citrus
Exchanges telegram, Safely" Does
100000 Floridians" ends with this
eXhortation:
Our only salvation is in the Senate.
as you know, and the Florida citrus
and sugar growers look to you for
salvation.
1t is not too much to say that every
Democrat in Observation-Disclosures
men and Senators-has received from
some Of his constituents communica-
lions which differ only in form and
subject from this Macedonian cry of
the Florida Citrus Exchange.
What Prevented Ii.
Now for weeks it was a question
whether this attempt of special in
terests to combine would succeed, OF
whether it would not. Sometimes
the atmosphere of Washington ap-
peared one Way--sometimes the 9TH
er. Probably the biggest factor in
the result was the character of Pres
ldent Wilson, not that he did any de-
finite thing about it, but his steady
stand on high moral ground encour
aged others TO- resist it, and made fol
Wholesome atmosphere about Wash
ngton. Also, the balance was swung
in favor Of honesty by examples of
individual courage on the part of
and Members.
What Senator Bryan Did.
Consider Senator Bryans answer
o this very demand of the Florida
Citrus Exchange. Senator BRYAN
night have made a secret call on the
louisiana Senators in exactly the
way the tariff was made in Republi-
an days; he might then have gone
o the Democratic Senators from the
iool growing and wool manufacture
lg States, and engineered combin-
ton either to intimidate Wilson into
or to defeat the bill. III {
'ould have taken only six Democratic
enators.) What Senator Bryan ac
IalIy did was to write the Florida
ltrus Exchange very frank letter.
he point of which is contained in
lese paragraphs 1t is really an
little sermon on protection
nd honesty:
Florida is Democratic and has in.
)rsed, among other things, the DO {
ton taken by the Democratic party 7
oon, the tariff question. A very ,
mple method of ascertainino q
neither a person believes in a prin- 7
pie is whether he will shrink from
lvlng it applied to himself. We =,
light not to be willing to apply -
lnclple Of government to other in Il
Istrles or sections and then refuse
be bound by it ourselves. If we
this on the tariff wherein do We
fer from the Republicans in this G
ost vital Of all the questions which
ntroI men in their party allegiance?
One Of the vices Of the system of n,
elective tariff has been that one r.
tustry will support another in re p
I'm for protection for itself. I'm. nv
such a system those industrie, ~
Hch do not make trades of this "
lracter are left unprotected. while nc
use which do make the trades sue lo
"a IN securing protection. That
5 statement is true is illustrated VII
your telegram, in which you state n.
It Louisiana Cmeaning thereby, H.,
ume, some organization of bust. ny
IS men who undertake to speak for se'
t State) has notified YOU that the an
lators from that State will help COZ
rlda on the citrus schedule of the acc
If If the Florida Senators will ma
Louisiana on sugar. Then YOU
IcSt me to consult with the Sen
s from both Louisiana and Mis- -
lppl to find out if such an alliance l
be made. | cannot do this. = : the
suppose the alliance you speak be
ouId be made. If it were nv dutv TAX
10 this, would it not equally be ter
duty to make similar alliances the
any other Senators and agree the
upport protective tariff schedules sba,
hlch their States would be inter tIe ,
T. IN return for their support for no -
a tariff on citrus fruits as Won POI POI
V . Doe. mt .,,nL !. l. ~ ped