Show TABLES TURNED The New York Times cleverly turns the tables upon some of its metropolitan metropoli-tan contemporaries especially the New York Tribune in respect to the effect of the tariff on business and labor Of course the position had been taken ta-ken by the Republican press that the result of the Wilson tariff law was to depress business stop mills throw labor out of employment and ruin the country Steadfastly Republican papers pa-pers for a time closed their eyes and ears to all signs of returning prosperity prosper-ity until in April and May of a year ago there was such a very interesting interest-ing and cheering upward movement in trade and industry to use the language lan-guage of the Times and wages began to increase so steadily and generally thait at last the Republican press could no longer deny the revival of industry and < the rise of wages and in true Republican Re-publican style set their wits at work to claim it for the Republican party and they said when denial of rising prosperity pros-perity was no longer possible that all this recovery was due to a popular expectation ex-pectation that the McKinley tariff would be restored because a Republican Republi-can victory In 1896 could easily be foreseen fore-seen and the party regaining power In 1S97 would speedily reenact the old duties The New York Tribune said on May 13 This recovery is an anticipation antici-pation It is discounting the improvement improve-ment wftich men have a right to expect ex-pect where the coming congress brings Republican experience and patriotism and common sense to bear upon the difficulties of the country Other papers even went further than I I this and claimed that the remarkable revival was due remarked < the Times not only to expectation of benefits from the present congress but also to an anticipation of Republican success In the election of this year and of the revision of the tariff on McKinley lines in 1Now I Now comes the point of < turning Since the revival of trade and industry indus-try of a year ago there has come a decided reaction It was observable before < the assembling of congress and nothing this Republican congress has done has checked that reaction on < the contrary matters grow steadily worse and for some time past as the Times puts it the high tariff newspapers have been commencing gloomily upon the condition of business and asserting that the Democratic tariff is ruining the country What we should like to have explained ex-plained ontinuesL the Times 1iswhy anticipation Republlcan success and J < < c e T of a McKinley revision of the tariff in 1897 should have a remarkable stimulating stim-ulating and reviving effeotin the spring and summerofISOoand have no such effect at the present time They areas are-as confident now of success as they were ten monShs ago and they hold of course that the date of the McKinley McKin-ley tariff is nearer now by ten months I than it was in June 1895 If it be true I as they say that industries are suffering suf-fering so severely now from depression caused by the present tariff how was it that this tariff did not so affect them last summer And if anticipation caused activity and a glad recovery then why should it fail to do so now The point is well made but the Times should be able to see that tariff legislation legis-lation either as a reality or an anticipation antici-pation does not reaoh the industrial depression nor the financial troubles of this country The protective tariff policy has been in operation since the war and under the most protective of all our tariff lavsthe McKinley lawthe country was brought to such a condition that it was ready to pass into the hands of a receiver Then was enacted the WilsonGor man tariff law not an ideal Democratic tariff measure by any means but bringing some degree of relief and for a time there was a revival of business an increase in the wages of labor but reaction came and dullness again prevails pre-vails What does this argue but that something some-thing besides tariff legislation is needed need-ed Do cure our financial ailments |