The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1903-08-28

Representative Hepburn Admres the
Dineley Law and Secs no Reason For
Immediate Change in Schedules.
Condemns Reciprocity In Competing
Products Which Would Destroy Our
Industries.
1--WE have had much of newspaper
talk in Iowa and elsewhere with refer
ence to the tariff question. This talk is
the result of declarationsin Iowa repub-
lican platforms made at times when the
mass of republicans was giving but little
or no attention to such matters because
the conventions were called solely for
State purposes. Under such circum-
stances but little consideration is usual
ly given to State platforms upon national
political subjects. The republican party
recognizes the fact that the doctrines are
to be found in the declarations of their
national conventions. For example,
the republican party in Iowa when con-
vened for State purposes, and State pur-
poses only, did, in 1875, declare: Third,
that we favor tariff for revenue so ad-
justed as to encourage home industries.
Again in 1877 the platform declared:
Eighth, that we favor wisely adjust
ed tariff for revenue On the first plat
form we placed Samuel J. Kirkwood as
our candidate for governor. In 1877 we
nominated John H. Gear. Two stall
warts for the protection system; two
men who never wavered in their advo-
cacy of that form of tariff that has
made the republican party the great
benefactor of the nation.
know that if there is any question upon
which there has been no serious division
in the ranks of the republican party
from 1861 up to the present time it is
that principle that looks to the protec-
tion of American labor, the expansion
of the great labor field of the United
States through the protection of the
products of our factories and our soil
and our mines And while we have
been at all times unwavering in our de-
yotion to a protective system, we have
at no time advocated or believed that
any particular system of schedules was
of a permanent character. In the 35
odd years that the republican party has
had legislative power in the United
States there have been five general re-
visions of the tariff by the republican
party and one by the democratic party.
Since l have been in congress there
have been three complete revisions of
the tariff by the republican party, gen.
orally resulting in reduction of rates
of duty and, occasionally, when the
necessity required it, there has been an
increase.
WILL IT INCREASE WAGES2
1.-The question has not been is rate
high or low, but will the duty increase
the number of days work-will it in
crease the wages, will it make more GER
tain the constant employment of all of
our people? And while this object has
been the one deemed of most Importance
the result has been almost universally
reduction in the cost to the consumer of
the necessaries and luxuries of life.
II have no doubt that within very
few years there will be revision of the
schedules of the Dingley tariff, but ex
press this opinion because of our ex-
perience rather than from a knowledge
of any existing necessity
For example, / sometimes hear men
say that the duty on steel manufactures
is too high and that it results in the pres
ent high price of steel, This duty
used to be some twenty-eight dollars; it
is now more than twenty dollars less
and certainly has not resulted in the
prohibition of steel importations, for last
year the steel and iron importations into
the United States from abroad exceeded
fifty millions of dollars in value, and
when we remember that the production
of pig iron under the Dingley law has in
creased from nine millions of gross tons
to nearly eighteen millions, it is easy to
believe that it is the extraordinary de-
mand for iron and steel-the universal
prosperity that we have-rather than