Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 28, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 July 1909 — COULD IT BE WORSE? [ARTICLE]

COULD IT BE WORSE?

The Republican majority ip congress has worked nearly four months on their tariff bill. When the bill shall finally be passed the average of duties will be much higher than they are now under the Dingley law. The Dingley rates are admittedly higher than was necessary for “protection,” even according to the Republican idea in 1897, when the “protection” craze was at high tide. Having, in the last campaign, promised a revision which they made the people believe would be downward, the Republicans have not only revised the tariff upward, as the Democrats declared they would, but they give the president authority to increase' the rates 25 per cent additional. } A commission is to be created to advise the president about this 25 per cent increase- This commission is to be appointed by the president, and he fixes the salaries and the term of service. The members of this commission will all be Republicans and "protectionists.

A Democratic senator asked that the commission be made non-parti-san- thls proposition was, with the exception of Senator LaFollete, unanamously opposed by the Republican majority. The Republicans have shown that they Intend to keep everything relating to the tariff in their own hands. One would think that those Democratic senators who voted with Aldrich would feel that they had sold their political honor for a mess of pottage—and then didn’t get the pottage.