Mower County transcript., 1902-10-01
ing away with any tendency to fos-

SlllzatlOn.
F. Not Abandoning Protection.
1T would recognize the fact that
as our needs shift it may be found
advisa ble to alter rates and schedules,
adapting them to the changed con-
dltlons and necessities of the whole
people; and this would be in no wise
incompatible with preserving the
principle of protection, for belief in
the wisdom Of a protective tariff is
in no way inconsistent with frankly
admitting the desirability of chang
ing set of schedules when from any
cause such change is in the interests
of the nation as Whole-and our
tariff policy is designed to favor the
interests of the nation as whole,
and not those of any particular set
of individuals, save as an incident to
their building up of national well-be-
ing.
There are two or three different
methods by which it will be possible
to provide such readjustment with
out any shock to the business world.
My personal preference would be for
after preliminary inquiry by, and
upon the findings of a body of ex-
perts of such high character and
ability that they could be trusted
to deal with subject purely from
the standpoint of our business and
industrial needs; but of course con-
gress would have to determine for
itself the exact method to be fol-
lowed.
Needed Machinery Possible.
''The executive has at it's command
the means for gathering most of the
necessary data and can act whenever
it is the desire of congress that it
should act. That we have the ma
chinery for turning out the policy
above outlined l am certain, if only
our people will make up their minds
that the good of the community will
be suDserved by treating the whole
question primarily from the stand
point of the business interests of the
entire country, rather than from the
standpoint Of the fancied interests
OF any group of politicians.
'Of course, in making any changes
we should have to proceed in accord
| ance with certain fixed and definite
| principles, and the most important
! of these is an avowed determinatio
! to protect the interests of the Amer
lean producer, be he business man,
| Wageworker or farmer.
"The one consideration which must
never be omitted in tariff change
| is the imperative need of preserving
| the American standard of living for
! the American Workingman. The tariff
rate must never fall below that
| which will protect the American
workingman by allowing for the diff
| ference between the general labor
cost here and abroad, so as to equal
ize at least the conditions arising
from the difference in the standards
of labor here and abroad-a difference
which it should be our aim to foster
in so far as it represents the needs
of better education, better paid, bet
| ter fed and better clothed working
men of higher class than any to
be found in foreign country.
| Workers. Interests te Be Guarded.
''At all hazards and no matter what
else is sought for or accomplished by
changes of the tariff, the American
workingman must be protected in his
standard of wages-that is, in his
| standard of living-and must be Sc
cured fullest opportunity of employ
ment.
| "Our laws should in no event afford
| advantage to foreign Industries over
American Industries. They should
in no event do less than equalize the
| difference in the conditions at home
| and abroad. The general tariff policy
to which, without regard to changes
in detail, believe this country to ba
irrevocably committed, is fundamen~
| tally based upon ample recognition
| of the difference of labor cost here
and abroad; in other words, the rec
ognition of the need for full devel-
! opment of intelligence, the comfort.
the high standard of civilized living,
and of the inventive genius of the
American workingman, as compared
to the workingman of any other
| country in the world.
"Let me in closing illustrate what
say by once again appealing to the
experiences of the men of the great
war. Our object in this country must
be to develop, high individual type
of citizenship. The reason that our
armies from 81 to '65 developed into
armies such as firmly believe could
not have been matched in any other
country was because we had so high
! an individual average of citizenship
! to work on.
"When you get down into the fight
and things 60 little crooked, not
quite as you expected, then is when
you find the stuff the man is made
of; then you will find whether he
will rise level to the needs of the oc-
casion. It is pretty simple to 60 just
one way and turn another way, and
then so another way, If somebody
tells you how, but if you have got