The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-09-11
THE STRENGTH OF HONESTY.

he TISpuDllC NOulu lCLlllo uSiAo
Gratis who are inclined to take blue
view of the prospects for speedy cur
rency legislation that within a few
DAYS the movement will receive a
powerful impulse through the pass
ing Of the tariff bill.
This measure, enacted into law,
will constitute the fultillment of the
first and grearest pledge made by
the democracy to the nation. The
political history of the past quarter
century shows that no task ever as
signed American legislators has
proven so difficult as conscientious
revision of the tariff. The tariff bills
which passed easily between 1870
and 1898 simply represented the eX-
actions imposed upon helpless pub
lic by a ruthless and invincible ma
chine. The people were not consult
ed. When the Wilson tariff was for
mulated in 1894, the house did con-
scientious work, but the senate, I'M
der the dominance of so-called demo-
Gratis who disgraced the name, be-
trayed the party trust, and caused
President Cleveland to charge party
perfidy and party dishonor." Then
came the Dingley bill, made in the
old way for the special benefit of
special interests, and the Payne-Al-
drich bill, whose cynical defiance OF
popular opinion was SO brazen that
an outraged people buried Taft and
his lieutenants under the ruins OF
the republican party.
The Underwood-SimmO bill is
not wholly perfect measure. But
this is relatively a small matter 1t
was not the honest imperfection OF
past tariff legislation that destroyed
republicanism; it was it's dishonesty.
The people were prepared to bear
mistakes, for every tariff since the
Civil War had been tissue OF them;
they were used to them. They re-
volted against plain bad faith. 1T
was the moral test rather than the
economic that determined the out
come.
This test the present bill is pre-
pared to meet triumphantly. The
bill is an honest bill 1t stands for
conscience. The eleventh hour con-
cessions to the sugar interests, the
cotton interests, the wool interests,
which our critics prophesied have not
been made. The bill need not be
afraid of itself in the light of the
party platform. The Louisiana SEN
ators have been hidden an affection
ate but a firm farewell. The democ-
racy has fought a good fight and
Kept the faith.
All this will give the party enor-
nous prestige, when it comes to the
passing of the currency bill. Moral
force is of all kinds of power the
most irresistible. No amount of in
tellectual brilliancy can atone for
the lack of it; and no mere tactics
I can stand against it. In the new tar
if law, honestly framed and put on
the statute books without essential
alteration, the democracy will have
an asset of incalculable value, in
view of the next great task which
eonfronts it.
The currency task is at once cas-
Ter and harded than tariff revision.
Compared with the familiar tariff
question: with it's straight opposition
between public interest and private
privilege, the currency field is OBJ
scure and difficult. But on the prac-
teal side legislation is vastly easier,
for it is uncomplicated by the spec
ial interests of particular localities.
The currency problem is general;
the tariff problem is, in the acutest
sense, what Hancock said it was
"a local ISSUE
The passing of the tariff bill will
leave the democratic party with the
courage which only belongs to men
accustomed to action, who have dis
charged a great trust, have deserved
the confidence of those to whom
ahey are responsible, and take up the
aext great task stronghearted and
unafraid--St. Louis Republic.