Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-05-28

pose of a protective tariff has been ac
complished. There is not any where il
the party, SO far as | know, any purpos
or intention to abandon this policy o.
to deViate from it in administration
but in this connection it is fair to stat,
that the republican party has never ia
Vored the maintenance of such rates o
duty as would enable the producers o
this country to eStort eXtravagan
prices for the necessaries of life, anc
as from time to time the suggestion
forces itself upon the judgment of man.
kind that there are schedules Of the
tariff, or items in the schedules of the
tariff, that have by the evolution OF
business become the bulwark of unjus
discrimination and eXtravagant and ex-
tortionate prices. it would be the duty
of craftsmanship to modify and revise
such schedule and modify such rate OF
duty in the interest of justice to the
consumer as we'll as to maintain ade-
quate protection to the producer. In
other words the republican party does
not worship the schedules of the tariff
like fetch that is above conSidera-
ton and criticism, and which must not
be interfered with under any conditions
whatever. The conditions of trade and
production necessarily change. and a
tariff schedule which today is adequate
for the purposes indicated may be in
adequate at a future time, and an item
in a schedule that was proper at the
! time of its enactment may become op-
preSsive, or at least unnecessary as ev-
olution goes forward.
IF there is to be tariff revision in the
| future, it would seem that the lessons
1 of history ought to induce the people
| of the country to see to IL that the
friends of protection, not its enemies,
! should handle the machinery of re-
vision.
The vital question for the republic
cans at this particular time is the ques-
| ton of when and how and by whom
any revision of the tariff which is
deemed important shall be made. Wha:
! is there in the portents of the times
| that indicates necessity for any re-
vision of the tariff schedules of the,
Dipgley act@ We have unbounded
prosperity. Is that the time to COM
mence tariff agitation that shall un-
settle values and disturb the peace OF
business and precipitate into commo-
ton the business interests of the Unit
ed States? That is the important ques-
ton, and question which, in my opin-
ion, can only be answered in this way:
Until injurious results to business and
prosperity are known to have been pro-
duced by the existence of tariff sched-
ules. the time has not come to enter
upon a revision of that document.
Needless agitation, uncalled for inter-
ference would check the onward prog
ress of prosperity and bring about such
cessation of business development as
would justify our opponents in declar-
ing that prosperity under the DinSley
law was temporary and passing away.
1t will be time enough to discuss the
necessity for revision when there IS
pointed out specifically some place
where Injurious results are flowing
from existing legislation. Hasty and IN
considefate tinkerifg with tarfff
schedules may bring about more disas-
ter than could be relieved by the high
est accuracy of revision.
Incidental 70 this subject is the
question of wider market. We cannot
60 on forever adding to the volume of
our production and yet fail TO gain new
and wider markets. The problem of
the day is the question of naw markets
for American production. If the re-
publicans of the country follow in the
footsteps of Mckinley and adjust their
legislation to his suggestions they will
not go far wrong.
Reciprocity must not be used to des-
troy home industries. Reciprocity must
not be made use of to lessen the wages
of the American laborers or to curtail
the scope of their employment. But
reciprocity may be used to open the
markets of other countries 10 the pro-
ductions of cur country and thereby
and in that way make it possible to give
more wages and more hours of labor to
the American workman. And especially
is it vitally important that our great
manufacturing; industries and our great
possibilities Of agricultural production
shall, thru the medium of just reci-
procity open rhe door of foreign trade
to the American producer. Keeping
constantly in mind the fundamental
principles of protection itself, reciproc-
ity, the handmade of protection, can be
made of the highest value to the Ameri
can people.
Cur democratic friends are keenly
alive to subject which is one of the
most interesting of all the phenomena
of the day, the rapid and enormous de-
velopn1ent of combinations of capital
and labor or out of power, so far as /
know, in any national way has inter
fered with the operation of the trusts.
To-day there is every appearance of a
conflict to death between the govern
ment of the United States upon the one
hand and certain recognized injurious
publican administration, thru the courts
of the country and by the instrumental
ity of the law has invoked by the at
torney general of the United States, is
proceeding to devine the trust as il ex-
lists and to drive it out of it's business
of monopoly The writ of injunction is
being issued to restrain the greed of
combinations, and effective measures
are being taken to dissolve certain of
these injurious combinations.
"The injurious and dangerous COM
bination, that which will not be toler-
ated in the United States, IS the COM
bination that first reduces the number
of laboler curtails their wages and
enhances the price of the article to be
consumed When this takes place, or
ganizations engaged in that business
will be wiped off the face Of the earth
either by law or by the more sure and
certain process of competition.
The foundation of the war against