Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 39, Number 104, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 September 1907 — Political Comment. [ARTICLE]

Political Comment.

Can't Bp Taken Ont of Politics. It is all very well to say that the revision of the tariff, being strictly a problem of commercial science, ought jjo Ik; taken out of politics. Undoubtedly : but how is it to be taken out of politics when for years the tariff has, been, and next year is likely once more to be made a presidential issue? The ideal procedure would he through the creation of such a non-partisan body as the National Association of Manufacturers proposes, assuming, of course, its fidelity to the protective principle; hut as things stand it is at least questionable whether the formation of a non-partisan tariff commission comes thin the range of possibility, and it is not questionable at all that a Republican Qongress would refuse to participate in the formation of such a body. The day may come when the tariff will cease to he a political issue, just as the gold standard has ceased to he such an issue already, but that day has not come yet. nor is it yet in sight. Fortunately, there is no immediate hurry about the tariff. The country is doing very nicely. It is enjoying all the prosperity it could expect or desire. Indeed, its only complaint is that -there is more business to be done than there are facilities in the way of currency and transportation for *doing it, so that the community Is suffering from what the doctors call a plethora. This Is an inconvenience, but on the whole, the situation is one to which the remark applies that it Is generally prudent to let well enough alone.— Philadelphia Inquirer.

- A Now Senatorial Era. Selecting Senators by popular vote lias practically made much headway without the amendment of the national constitution. Alabama affords the most striking instance of this fact. Within a short time both of its able and respected members of the United States Senate have passed away. Both were over SO when re-elected, and it was thought prudent, at the last state primary; to name successors in case of their death. Accordingly, their places will be taken by ex-Congress-man Bankhead and ex-Gov. Johnston, who received majorities at the primary. The Legislature is in session and no time will be lost in carrying out the will of the people. While it is true that the legal power to elect is in the Legislature it is highly improbable that such a body would do more or less than conform to the judgment expressed in the popular vote. If a member of the Legislature intended to cast a senatorial vote according to his own preference he ought to say so when running for office, whenever a senator is included in the primary test. What the voters would do to such a legislative candidate can be guessed, and what they would do to him after a treacherous silehce would make hrS lot decidedly unenviable. In about one-fourth of the States senators are now named by the people themselves, and in no case has a legislature failed to be governed by their action.— ~

Worse than a Fifth Wheel. Mr. Bryan’s Commoner condemns the plan of a permanent tariff commission as “only a part of the effort to present A revlsloiT of the tariff.” In this the Commoner is mistaken. The commission plan is favored by the revisionists and opposed by the “stand-patters.” The revisionists favor It because they are able thereby to gain the assent of some manufacturers who otherwise would resist tariff disturbance or hurtful to business. The “stand-patters” oppose it because they know it to be utterfy impracticable to secure nonpartisanship in a tariff commission. A bi-partisan commission would have no weight with Congress or with the country. It would be less useful and more of a nuisance than the fifth wheel of a coach. BOt it is a waste of time to argue the matter. Congress will never accept Jbe tariff commission plan.— American Economist.

'What Germany Wouldn’t Have Done. From Gertnnay we 'bought in 1907 something over $2G,000,000 in excess of what we bought In 190(1? The exact figures are, for 1907, $161,544,552; for 1906, $135,142,996. Yet the level-head-ed American people are aSked to believe that Germany was prepared to jeopardize nearly $162,000,000 of trade by enforcing a hostile tariff discrimination against the products of the United States, and that in order to avert that disaster to our exports we were compelled to surrender to Germany our tariff-making autonomy. That Is pure bosh! Germany never had the slightest Intention of endangering that trade of $162,000,000 by inviting tariff reprisals. Anybody with an ounce of brains ought to know better than to suppose It. Germany pat out her bluff ns an experiment, and our government “laid down” to It That’s all.