The Washington times., 1913-08-11
REPUBLICANS AND THE TARIFF BILL

A tariff bill that passes the Senate by majority
of one or two or three votes is certain be the in
slant objective of violent attacks If the vote bN
which it passes is strictly partisan, the attacks are
the more certain to be made, and they are the more
certain to be based partisan considerations rather
than those of merit.
Let tariff measure pass Congress now, by par
tisan vote, and it will be the issue in Congressional!
campaign that will be opening before the new law
is six months on the statute books. No tariff meas
ure can possibly be given anything like fair tes; in
"a year. No legislation has more need of, or less
chance to get, fair and unbiased judgment based
on experience and results in actual operation.
More than this, if there is any possibility of hos
tile interests undertaking to damn tariff measure by
infictins business troubles upon the country and
good many people in the present dominant party
believe there s-the partisan quality of tariff must
give encouragement to that procedure. If the Repub
lican and Progressive parties solidy opposed to
the Underwood Simmons tariff then plainly the way
to fight that measure will be to fight the Democratic
party
Therefore, the Democratic party should desire,
above all things, to such measure of Repub-
lican and Progressive support as will make it pos
sibe to argue that this is not partisan tariff; that
it is given to the country by coalescence of men,
bers of various parties, and is not political meas
ure. If they could bring little group of their po-
ltcal opponents to support this they would
accomplish this.
On the other side, it seems plain that if the Re-
publcans ana Progressives and progressive Repub-
canS all unite in voting against this measure, the
country will be unable to any very distinct lines
of cleavage separating these various elements II
they all vote against the tariff bill and against the
currency bill of this sesson-Gallnger voting with
Bristow, Penrose voting with Cummins and So on
where will there be an issue on which tory and
liberal Republicans can fight OUT in the extraor-
dinary national convention of next year, the contest
for control Of the Republican party?
Men who four years ago voted against the Payne
Aldrch bill, and who now vote against the Under
wood measure, may explain till doomSday, but they
cannot do away with the impression that in effect
they voted in 1909 against the Payne-Aldrich meas
ure and then in 1913 voted or it.
From the standpoint of the Democrats the coun-
try and the liberals in the Republican party seems
therefore, that it would be good thing if respect
able group of progressive Republicans would support
this legislation Manfestly, they cannot be expected
to do that without some concessions to their views
What concessions might be expected to win them?
First, provision for a permanent, useful tariff
commission. 1t is not hard to believe that President
Wilson might by this time have had enough tariff
making experience TO incline him favorabIy to that
proposal. The liberal Republicans all want it They
would 90 long way to get it.
Second, some reasonable concessions to Repub-
lican views in The matter of duties agricultural
products.
Senator Kenyons speech on Saturday strongly
suggested the possibility of some liberals supporting
a bill that made reasonable concessions to them. 1t
IS not apparent why the concessions could not be
made with reason and propriety.
If, say, five non-Democratic Senators could in this
way be brought to support this legislation, il would
carry in the Senate by from ten to fifteen majority;
that is by majority emphatic both in its num-
bers and its non-partisan composition that it would
insure the legislation fair trial; it would take tariff
out of politics for a time it would seem 10 advan-
tage both Democrats and liberal Republicans Ii
would discourage most cmphatically anybody with
am ambition to defy President Wilson's threat of
Hamans gallows.
Perhaps the tariff is so Iong-cstabIshcd yarty
issue that il must remain such Yet the remarks Of
Senator Kenyon, and the sentiments of some other
liberal Republicans who have not vet addressed he
Senate along these lines, are such as to war;, It
some interested speculation about the possibility of
passing non-party tariff measure by a substantial
majority instead of passing party measure by he
kin of the partisan teeth
Why Saber Is Curved.