Jasper County Democrat, Volume 7, Number 23, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 September 1904 — ROOSEVELT AS A FREE TRADER. [ARTICLE]

ROOSEVELT AS A FREE TRADER.

president Roosevelt started out In politics as an anti-protectionist and favored the abolition of all tariff duties. He joined a free trade club in New York and continued his membership during all the time he was a member of the assembly and until after the nomination of James Q. Blaine in 1884. In the life of Thomas H. Benton, Author Roosevelt writes, among other things, In regard to the tariff as follows: “Political economists have pretty generally agreed that protection is' vicious in theory and harmful In practice; but if the majority of the people In Interest wish It, and It affects only themselves, there Is no earthly reason why they should not be allowed to try the experiment to their heart’s content. The trouble is that it really does affect only themselves, and In 1828 the evil was peculiarly aggravated on account of the unequal way in which the proposed law would affect different sections. It purported to benefit the rest of the country, but it undoubtedly worked real injury to the planter states, and there is small small ground for wonder that the Irritation over the region affected should have been so Intense.” Again, in speaking of the tariff, he ■aye: "In 1828 the tariff, whether it benefited the country as a whole or not, unquestionably harmed the south, and in a federal union it is most unwise to pass laws which shall benefit one part of the community to the hurt of another part, when the latter receives no compensation.” In commentig upon the speech of Clay in defense of a protective tariff, Author Roosevelt says: “Clay’s assertions as to what the tariff has done for the west were equally ill founded, as Benton showed in a good speech wherein he described picturesquely enough the industries and general condition of his portion of the country, and asserted, with truth, that its revived prosperity was due to its own resources, entirely independent of federal aid or legislation.” No one ever heard of Theodore Roosevelt becoming a protectionist untiil he became the Republican candidate for vice president and now as the candidate for president.