The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-03
Secretary of War Says Revision
 is Serious Task
HE FINDS MANY KIcKERS
Quotes Tilden, Who Once Said If Any Kind of Proposition Is Submitted to 100 Men Some of Them
 Will Dispute 1t.

BOSIOnt ADTll E.-Eilhu ANSCNf of war. and Senator Henry Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts were guests Of honor and the principal speakers tonight at the Home Market club, the representative republican organization of New England. MT. Root spoke on the tariff ana MT Lodge on Canadian reciprocity, and or the charges made against the American soldiers in the Philippines, Governor John L. Bates spoke briefly. greeting the guests. He was followed by Secretary Root, who launched into the subject of the tariff saying in part:
 eI remember hearing MT. Tilden say that if you put a 100 men in room and make any proposition whatever to them, some one of the hundred would dis pute it.
 Reducing this saying to it's lowest de- gree of one in a hundred, we must look for at least 800, 900 among the people of the United States in whose eyes everything that Is done is wrong, and whatever Is being done, ought not to be done or ought to be done otherwise. This useful but trying class of our fellow, citizens has recently turned it's attention to the ex- isting protective tariff system of the Uni ted States. If we had been a free-trade country, they would have been protec- tionists. As we have long been a protec- tionist country, they are free traders.
 Tariff Revision.
 To them are joined the members ot the democratic party who desire change in administration and the two demand what they call a revision of the protec- tive tariff but which they really mean to be a destruction of the protective tariff. Along with them go to some eX- tent certain good and true men, who urge a real revision of the tariff, which they believe will make it better protective tariff than 1t is now.
 "A revision of the tariff Is a great and difficult task not to be undertaken except for grave and serious reason. Fourteen million voters represented by 36S con gressmen and 90 senators cannot change tariff laws without discussion and delay. Again you cannot get rid of trusts by re- vising the tariff, unless you are ready to reduce the duties on the classes of man. ufacture in which the so-called trusts are engaged; that Is to say, in all the princi- pie kinds of manufacture to such an ex- tent as to put an end to all American manufacture. If duties are lowered below the point of adequate protection, the in- dependent manufacturer will go to the wall first It Is impossible that reduc- ton of duties should wipe out trusts ex- cept as 1t wipes out American manu- facture. When that happens you will have substituted the foreign trusts for domestic trusts and the prosperity of for eign workmen for the prosperity of Amer iean workmen."
 Senator Lodge followed and said in part:
 Senator Lodge Speaks.
 "It Is very evident that the democratic party, in the failure of all their other issues, proposes to fight the next national campaign upon the tariff and its allied questions Signs of their purpose abound on all sides not the least significant be- ing the pleasing recrudescenee of MT. Cleveland.
 "A phase of the tariff question Is Ca- madam reciprocity. A statement of facts will show that the republican party and republican Presidents alone have done all that has been done to bring about Canadian reciprocity, and that the fail ure of negotiations since 1888 has in every instance been due to the attitude of Canada.
 "A fortnight since certain democrats of this neighborhood held a continuance performance one day at Faneuil hall in regard to the Philippine islands They have been hitherto in the habit of select ing the secretary of war for their target. On this occasion, for local reasons, no doubt they substituted me for the secre- tary. I feel greatly honored thereby.
 We republicans deeply deplore the fact that any cruelties were ever com mitted by any American officer or any American soldier upon any one in the Philippine islands We believe that any officer or man guilty of such conduct should be tried by courtmartial and we believe that that has been done. But we also believe that some consideration should be given to the circumstances un- der which these unhappy cruelties oc- cured. We remember their provocations
 The republican party mas passed in both sessions of this congress wise, far reaching legislation for the benefit of the Philippine islands. They will pass more in the years to come. but there is one thing that the republican party will not do-they will not further seek to hound down officers and men of the army of the United States for events which hap pened two years ago and which have been tried before the courts and before the country"