The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-09-17

prevent that condition. For my part, if any great interest in this country Is pros pering through protective policies or any other legislation and is using it's advant- ages, growth and prosperity to plunder the American people, for one, am ready to strike 1t by whatever legal means we may be able to adopt provided that in so doing we do not hurt innocent interests. am not prepared to say I would be will ling to strike down and destroy Ameri- can combinations and let foreign combi- nations come in and do the work but I would like to control our own corpora tions so that there could be fair play among the American people
 More Amused Than Hurt.
 T have been more amused than hurt at the suggestions that I have been against any changes in the tariff. While I have been against a general revision recogniz- ing the wisdom of President Roosevelt in his first message to congress, in which he advised against it, I have never been opposed to making needed changes, and l am not now. I must say and emphati- cally, that 1 do not believe that a single schedule of the DingIey tariff law can be so amended as to relieve the people from the oppression of trusts or combinations of capital, however named, and such &C., ton may involve the retarding of our expanding commerce and getting and holding of foreign markets.
 'Indeed, I believe such plan to be fraught with grave dangers to the peo- pie. am a firm believer in reciprocity. worked with untiring zeal to secure re- ciprocal arrangements between Cuba and this country and I was successful in passing 1t through the house. The senate did not act on the bill because consider alton of it would have permitted the opening up of the whole question of tariff revision. The house has nothing to say about the ratification of treaties but the reciprocal relations upon which it legislated In respect to Cuba were not in the nature of treaties, but they were reciprocal agreements in which l think our country would have the best of the bargain although, doubtless they would have been of great advantage to Cuba.
 While I cannot speak for the pros- poets of favorable action upon bills sent to the senate, I still hope and believe that by a treaty the same result may be ac- complished and I have no doubt that President Roosevelt is now working on the question of treaty with Cuba to give that struggling young republic need ed help, help, too, in which, while they will be gathers, we will not be losers And now, let me say, and let there be no misunderstanding as to my position l believe in protection that will protect the hand of labor, the wheels of indus try, every farmer and miner, and am against wicked corporations that would trample on the right of the people to fair play and to the fruits of honest ef- forts. I am against unnecessary legisla- tion that would throw my country into panic and bring back the horrors be- queathed to us by the last democratic administration"
 "In conclusion I desire to say that after a careful study of conditions and politi- cal views in Iowa and in my own district l am satisfied that I am not in harmony with a great many of the republican voters who believe that free trade, in whole or in part, will remedy the trust evil. I believe that it will not, but such a remedy is likely to involve the nation in dangerous results, and so believing I feel that I should not accept the nomi- nation for congress which was so gener- ously rendered me, and I have decided accordingly. I cannot part from people that I have loved and have honored me without leaving an expression of my earnest and sincere views on this and other vital public questions.
 (Signed) ID. B. HENDERSON"