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Show ALDRICH GETS OUT. There have been reports, more or less definite, for some time, that Senator Sen-ator Aldrich would retire from his seat in tho Senate at the expiration oT his present term, which ends "March j 3rd next year. These reports heretofore hereto-fore have boon discredited, however, because of Mr. Aldrich s absolutely sure grip upon the "Republican party of Rhodo Island, and perhaps even more brcauso of tho programme of work laid out for him as Senator. President Taft distinctly announced in his speech-making of Jasr. year, that tho currency question would bo dealt with under the leadership of Mr. Aldrich, Al-drich, and a measure of currency reform re-form bc reported and passed by Congress Con-gress as AJdrich's crowning work. Kven (hen it appears as if both the President Presi-dent and Mr. Aldrich recognized that the newly-passcd tariff law would not servo as a crowning work for anybody. So that the currency measure was held in reserve to servo that end. Tho tariff bill is distinctly an Al-( Al-( dnch measure; more so by far than J any bill that has ever been onactod s by Congress. It seems incredible, how-!. how-!. ever, that .Mr. Aldrich, or that any-1 any-1 body, should have considered measure meas-ure of that kind their crowning work or as in any way settling ihe tariff , question. It has merely served, on tho . contrary, io embitter tariff disputes. ; And the pracfic.., operation of tho I.- shows it to be an absolutely one-: one-: sided measure. It, js framcd j thc ml crest of Now England entirely, and so far as any legislation can do it, this law puis the remainder of the country under tribute distinctly and lrectly to Xew England. Immediate. '.V upon Ms passage, the Xew England -otton mills formed a combination and missed prices on cotton goods. The tariff bill made an enormous advanco in some of the cotton schedules, and in that advanco tho New England cot-ton cot-ton mills arc getting a complcfo mo-nopoly mo-nopoly of the cot Ion goods niarkcl in this country. That market is an enormous enor-mous one, and the Now Engtand cotton manufacturers are doing as rhcy please with it. They arc curtailing tho prod- ucf. and raising prices in a way that robs everybody in the United "states who has to buy cotton goods. The tariff bill lias wiped out thc greater part of our balanco of trade on foreign account, causing heavy gold shipments to Europe. It did not in any way touch thc great combines or trust interests of the country, but on tho contrary helped them to conquer, and aided in riveting tho bands in which they had already bound thc country. . . , Jn other ways, too. the new tariff law is a source of jucnaijand discontent discon-tent everywlicrc.f Toiniftcd tho gold clause from tho authorization of bonds, and this omission had to bc cured at the regular session bv sneaking an amendatory bill through Congress with the least possible attention directed lo .iL Although our steel industry is thc greatest in tho world it is still treated as an infant, and is accorded a nulritivo protection as such. Tho sugar schedule was framcd with the clear purpose of confirming tho bi" sugar trust in its monopoly of the American sugar market, robbing the people of this country of scores of millions a .year. Tho natural result follows; thc tariff law, so far from settling the tariff question, accentuates its bitterness, and there is a greater demand for the revision re-vision of this new tariff hnv than there was or tho revision of the Dingley law which it supersedes. Such a sec- tional, infirm, 'and inexpert law as this surely cannot redound to the credit of Senator Aldrich or of the "Republican parly; it is treated with just contempt throughout the country at large. With respect to thc currcnev nucs- '. Hon, Mr. Aldrich, with much ingenuousness, ingenuous-ness, confesses that he does not. know much about it. This is a curious confession con-fession to come from a man to whom President Taft entrusts Iho whole mat-'tcr, mat-'tcr, and whom thc President recommended recom-mended lo tho country as a great expert, ex-pert, one able to solve triumphantly this puz.ling question. But it has been evident right along that Senator Aldrich Al-drich has given up the currency prob-1cm prob-1cm as a bad job. lie. has been at work on it for a long time; has been at work with thc monnlarv Minm! ion which made a visit lo Europe last year for the purpose of inquiring into tho financial systems of the different dif-ferent countries there; and still (here is nothing from that commission or from Mr. Aldrich. There cannot possibly bp anything from them, or cither of them, 'at the present session of Congress. Next session will bo what is called thc short session, and of course will terminate on thc 3rd of March. Tt meets on the first Monday in December, Decem-ber, but nothing is done lo amount to anything before the holidays. After tho holidays there will remain but two months in which to do thc work of tho year, pass tho appropriation bills and start- thc country on the new fiscal year which will bogin on the 1st of July I hen next ensuing. Tho impossibility impos-sibility of any currency measure being be-ing enacted at that time is evident. It is clear, therefore, that Senator Aldrich Al-drich has given up the idea of being the father of a currency measure. Seeking tho reason for Mr Aldrich 's retirement, it is probable that there is actual ground, for him stating (hat the condition of his health has much to do willi it. Still, we believe that the chagrin which ho must feel on .the failure of his tariff enactment must have even more lo do with his retire-mpnl. retire-mpnl. Still m. re, nerhanH. 0 do with s it than cither of thc other causes, is his I. hopeless struggle with tnc currency - quest ion. "Maybe tho certainty which he must feel that ho is unable to deal with tho currency question of tho country, coun-try, is tho real causa of his retirement. retire-ment. Tfis informal ion on this question appears to bo small. In fact, in his western tour last year he confessed that he knew but little about II, lhafc ho was seeking knowledge from others; and in thus stating his position we are compelled to believe that he was absolutely ab-solutely frank; that ho staled tho mnt-; mnt-; ter ;just as ho felt tho fact to bc. Ho was incompetent to deal with tho question, ques-tion, know his incompetence, and confessed con-fessed il. Now he gives emphasis lo that confession by retiring from the public arena .altogether, when he is confronted with and expected to deal with a question which ho docs not un-dcrslnud un-dcrslnud ami is not able to comprehend. In this ho shows a good deal more wisdom 1h.ni ho would it he went on pretending lo deal with the currency question whilo incompetent io deal with il, and moro wisdom tha.n he displayed last year when he undertook 'to frame a tariff law for thc country which in no wise fits. Thc Senator is an old-timer in Congress, Con-gress, lie was ono of six men whose combined practical wisdom enabled them lo rule (he Scnnle for years. He was one of Iho lenst. of tho six. If any ono was less than ho it was Senator JInlc. whose retirement is also desirable and fully announced. The other four Senators, Spooner, Plntt of Connecticut, Ilnnna of Ohio, and Allison Alli-son of Iowa, were men of great capacity ca-pacity and execiilivo force. it was they who gave leadership 0 the "big six," as they wore called. Senator Aldrich not having them to lean upon, is lost and weak. Ilia explanation is really an apology, forced and complete; ho is done, and his retirement is the only logical outcome of a sitnatioi which is (on great for him (o handle thc surrender of a power too heavy for him to wield. |