The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1913-08-14
THE ROCK THAT WRECKED 1T.

-Four wears ego President Taft
signed the Payne-Aldrich tariff bill;
| four years ago it went into effect.
In the senate that adjourned Aug
| ust 5th, 1909, having passed wha
| President Taft at Winona afterwards
| pronounced the best of all tariff bills
there were fifty nine republicans ant
| but thirty-three democrats.
The house republicans in the same
congress numbered 219, while the
| democrats were but 172. In the
presidential election of the previous
autumn William H. Taft had plur
atty of more than 100000 over hi
| democratic opponent-the largest II
our political history-and clear ma
jority over all opponents OF more
than 235, 900. TO the eye OF the or
binary observer it seemed that re
| publican domination was safe for
generation to come.
In the present senate the fifty-nine
| republicans of four years ago have
diminished to forty-tive, while the
| thirty-three democrats have increas'
| ed to tifty-nine. In the house the
PIG republicans of 1909, notwith'
standing the enlargement Of the
total membership, have fallen to l44
while the 172 democrats have grown
to 291.
What has brought so sudden and
complete a revolution? What chang
ed such overwhelming victory into
such crushing defeat? Just plain
bad faith.
The primary cause OF republican
defeat was not republican political
heresies, grave though they were
Nor was it lack of individual ability
though that was conspicuous in
President Taft at the critical mo-
ments of his career. Rebuke OF
wrong political ideas is sure, as is
loss of power through weak leader
ship; but neither operates with the
swiftness and utter completeness
that mark the republican recession
from the high tide Of November
1908. That came because the party
affronted the moral sense of the
American people. 1t was the flag
rant disregard of plain promise
that wrought the ruin.
The party had promised relief
from the intolerable burden of ex'
cessive tariff taxation. The Ameri'
can people had become educated tc
the hollowness of the pretense OF
high protection and had resolved up.
on a change. In this matter the re-
publican party appeared to be going
with the tide. Its leaders freely
promised in 1908 to revise the tariff
downward.
Then congress met and the party
did nothing of the kind. For twelve
years other issues had absorbed the
attention of the American people
Under cover of this preoccupatior
the beneficiaries of tariff privilege
had fattened unnoticed and haC
slowly perfected an invincible or
ganization. When the republican
party in congress faced the tariff is
sue it perceived divided duty
. One part was to the American people
and the other part was to the tariff
beneficiaries, who had poured on
money, manipulated machines an,
made and unmade congressman AM
senator's.
/ There were not lacking in con
gress republicans who saw clearl,
and spoke without fear. Deliver
great speech on Schedule K is a elias
sic of tariff literature. But when i
came to a trial of strength between
the call of the people and the call o
the tariff machine the latter com
manded and congress did it's will. l
kept faith with the barons of higl
protection. 1t broke faith with tn
people.
The lesson of the great oyerturn
ing whose extent is so eloquent.
summed up in the figures we hav
given is not far to seek. After all
the people rule in these Unitet
States. They know how to be patien
with delay. They know how to b.
tolerant of inevitable mistakes ant
inherent human weaknesses. Blu
they will not condone bad faith. TIT
republican party went to ruin be
cause it's word was lie.
In this there is comfort for tn
party in power. Our leaders are no
all wise. Our measures have theil
defects. But the heart of the part!
is sound Our enemies Themselves
have shown no disposition to charge
us with lacking the courage of oul
convictions or paltering with thu
mandate which we have received
from the American people.-St
| Louis Republic.