Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 August 1908 — TARIFF REFORM. [ARTICLE]

TARIFF REFORM.

Two newspapers, anti-Bryan, find themselves horrified at Mr. Taft’s position on the tariff. The New York World thinks his position will be sure to hurt him with large bodies of voters for several reasons; among them his obtious evasion of the income tax, his hedging on the Philippines, his disheartening apology for unprecedented Republican extravagance, his failure to propitiate the negroes, his strange surrender on the tariff. On the last, it says more particularly that his amazing argument that some schedules of the tariff ought to be raised In order to maintain the principle of protection is even worse than the, Chicago platform, and that if it is not a plain surrender to the high protection plutocracy within the Republican party his words have no meaning.

The Chicago Journal says that Mr. Taft’s words will lead the public to think that when the Republican convention did not say whether revision of the tariff should be up or down, it was intentional, and to apprehend that if the “Republican grand dukes” control Congress they will increase instead of decrease the opportunities for trust robbery. And this, it thinks, is emphasized by Mr. Taft’s words about trusts. It says: The Democratic plan to remove tariff duties from all articles coming into competiton with those made by trusts and to put them on the free list is bad, for, while it might stop trust robbery, it would destroy “all their smaller competitors.” Therefore, the country must submit to be robbed by trusts for the sake of their “smaller competitors.” How many “smaller competitors” are there for Standard Oil, the sugar trust, or the glass trust, or any other of the trusts that monopolize production in Nearly all the industries of the nation? How many will there be five years hence, if the tariff remains or is increased. Mr. Taft has heretofore on several occasions expressed himself in a different way on the subject of tariff revision. It is disheartening himself, talking about “smaller candidate for President, reversing himeself, talking about “smaller competitors,” which have no existence, and even proposing that the Dingley tariff shall be raised in some of its schedules. There are certain things in this connection that it w'ere well the people should remember: (1) In the seven years of Roosevelt and reform we have had the trusts “busted” (more or less); we have had the railroads “regulated” (more or less); we have had Packingtown cleaned up and the pure food and drug law passed and everything antagonized from the simple life to .race suicide; but not one word has been heard for tariff reform. But manifestly there can be no relief of the economic conditions that are pressing so hard on the mass of the people without tariff reform, and so the demand for this grew so great that the Republican Congress passed a resolution promising it—after the election! (2) Thus tariff reform is in this campaign because of Republican introduction (before the convention had met.)

(3) The Republican tariff plank at Chicago was vague —Intentionally so, doubtless. The American Economiat, the organ of the high protectionists, has since announced that it was so framed as in no wise to intimate that revision meant revision downward. (4) Mr. Taft indorses this doctrine, even going so far as to say specifically that some Schedules should be raised. The course of progress has then been this: During seven years of Jof assault on monopolies no word to disturb the tariff, the great mother and protector of well-nigh all of them. Then when forced by popular demand from the foretaste it had of restraining monopoly, a promise by the Republican Congress of tariff reform. Next an ambiguous iff reform. Next an ambiguous plank In the Republican platform; and now a flat statement that revision does not necessarily mean a downward process and a specification of an upward process in some cases. That is, fa,ped with the flat Issue, the Republican party is already hedging to the side of the beneficiaries, giving them to understand that they are safe under Republican revision—even to getting more, while the Democratic doctrine that would actually reduce rates in specific trust made goods is derided a 3 economic anarchy. The issue it seems to us is plain. And It 1b the kind of issue that can not be dodged—the kind that “comes up.” It has been coming up for at least seven years, growing more and more insistent, till now it has brought the two great parties face to face. What will be done if the Republicans continue in power is only too plain.—lndianapolis News.

Cincinnati never in its history held such a big crowd of officeholders as were in that city last week to hear Mr. Taft notified of his nomination. Most of those who went from Indiana were holders of federal jobs. •

The announcement made by the Republican papers on the authority of Mr. Hearst's political managers in Indiana that Colonel Charles G. Conn would be the “Independent Barty’s” candidate for governor seems to have been made without Colonel Conn’s knowledge or consent. His paper, the Elkhart Truth, states that Colonel Conn would not accept such a nomination. Speaking of the setting aside of that $29,000,000 fine against the Standard Oil Company, president Roosevelt said that the result might have been otherwise if some common litigant had been the defendant. Was that an “attack on the courts”? The Republican papers would have said so if the same statement had been made by a Democrat. They would have gone •further and said it was “anarchy.”

An eastern trust organ is quoted by the Indianapolis Star (Republican organ) as saying that “there is hardly a better chance for Bryan tp win electoral college votes in any of the big middle West states than there is for him to carry Pennsylvania,” The trouble with these Eastern trust is that they don’t know anything about the “big middle West states.” They think that all the brains are in the East —particularly in Wall street—and that the people of the West are mere Ignoramuses. They will know more after the election. From start to finish, Mr. Taft’s speech of acceptance is a labored effort to defend, explain or excuse his party's record. He apologizes for some things, but he boldly declares his love for the trusts. He admits that the country is suffering from hard times under a Republican administration, but he wants the people to vote "for the Republican party and prosperity.” And at different places in his addresß he falls Into the cross-roads habit of Republican speakers and sayfi that the Republican party is “constructive” and the Democratic party Is “destructive.” It is evident that Mr. Taft worked real hard, considering bis 300 pounds and the hot weather.