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Show STRONGER AND WISER -KiT IJ PARTY. ms II There seems to be no tlou'.t that Mr ill Roosevelt means to have. his HI about both tariff revision and rail ffl way rebates, and that tho Republican IH leaders In both houses of congress 111 deem It" prudent, on tho whole- to avoid IH a contest with the president As re- IH gads tho former project, it ls prob. IB able that a revision bill will 1)0 framed IV during tho summer and submitted to the Fifty-ninth congress at an extra II session to bo convoked in the autumn II It is true that in tho interval between II the expiration of the Fifty-eighth eon- II gross and tho organization of the house H of representatives in the next congress Hi no house committee on ways ann B means will ho in existence- but as all HJ the members of the present committee H have been re-elected, nnd aro almost HI certain to bo reappointed to their o'd H places, they can meet unofficially with IH the corresponding senate committee IE and arrive at conclusions that will be HI officially ratified by the new commit- H tee on ways and means after the next IH house Is organized. In view of the ex- H tromo roluctanco with which many Re- H publican leaders have assented to any H change in tho Dlngloy tariff. It Is H doubtful whether a bill that they H would he willing to accept would give B much satisfaction to the earnest advo- H cates of revision. Besides, experience H has shown that thoro aro moro ways HI than ono of killing an unwelcome II measure. Before a tariff-revision bill, l unofficially agreed upon, could bo re- II ported to the houso by tho next com- II mlttee on ways and means, tho rep- IH resentatlvos of interests affected by H tho bill would demand a hearing, and IH tho result might bo similar to w)-st 19 was witnessed under tho Arthur ad- IH ministration, when tho honest attemm IH of a commission to reform the tariff IH was wrecked In committee, the law IH ultimately enacted being so devised as IH on the whole, to raiso rates rather IH than lower them. IH So long as men known to ho "stand- IH patters" can control, If they like, the HJ steering committees in both houses. H wo canont help feeling somewhat pl'fi"1- HI tical as to tho substantial value of the HJ concessions likely to be made to the HJ revisionists. Let us hopo for tho best, BJ however. It is certain that the le- Bj mand for revision is nlrcady wide- If spread, and is gathering strength, si M that unless the president's warning is HJ heeded, tho Republican leaders may BJ furnish the Domocrpr" v-'th tho one is- BJ suo on which all of its fnctions couVl BJ unlto, and make such serious Inroads BJ on tho ranks of its oproiwnt as would HJ probably enable it to defeat any Re- BJ publican nominee for the presidency except Mr. Roosevelt himself. That H Theodore Roosevelt is stronger than Kj his party tho returns of Novembers m election prove. It remains to ho seen fffl whether he Is not also wiser. As n- ! dependent onlookers, who, It is said. ! aro best judges of a game, wo have begun to gain tho impression that ne ls both stronger and wbor. Not in two decades of interested or anxious on- servatlon have wo seon an American politician grow so fast as docs Mr. Roosevelt. Harper's Weekly. |