Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1903-08-13
is A STANDPATTER
COLONEL w. p. HEPBURN FEAR.
LEssLY SHOWS HIS coLoRS
IN cREsToN SPEECH.
Tells the Union County Republicans
the True Meaning and Intent of
Tariff and Tariff Observation-Disclosures
Strong Address.

"That form of tariff that has made
the country great and that has made
the republican party the great bene-
factor of the nation" was the text TAX
en- by Congressman w. P. Hepburn for
his address at the recent Creston con-
vention and he handled the subject in
such a masterful way that his speech
is regarded by many who heard him
as one of the greatest and best adj
dresses on true republicanism ever
made. Mr.. Hepburn like Hon. John
F. Lacey is a "standpatter from Stand
patville" and in no way could he make
this palmer than in the speech to the
Union county republican convention in
Creston. His address in full is pub
lished herewith:
Some History.
eve have had much of the newspa-
per talk in Iowa and elsewhere with
| reference to the tariff question. This
talk is the result of declarations in
Iowa republican platforms made at
| times when the mass of republicans
was giving but little or no attention
to such matters because the conven-
| tons We're called solely for state pur-
poses. Under such circumstances but
little consideration is usually given to
state platforms upon national political
subjects. The republican party recog-
nizes 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 a tariff for revenue so
adjusted as to encourage home indus
tries Again, in 1877 the platform de-
clared: Eighth. that we favor wise
ly adjusted tariff for revenue On the
first platform we placed Samuel J..
Kirkwood as our candidate for govern
or. In 1877 we nominated John H.
Gear. Two stalwarts for the protec-
ton system; two men who never wav-
cred in their advocacy of that form of
tariff that has made the country, great
and that has made the republican par
ty the great benefactor of the nation.
Protection to Labor the Great Thing.
Just how these declarations crept
into the platforms I am unable to say.
l know that they were not expressive
of the sentiment of the republican par
ty. l know that if there is any. cues
ton upon which there has been no ser.
ious division in the ranks of the repub.
lican party from 1851 up to the present
time it Is that principle that looks to
the protection of American labor, the
. expansion of the great labor field of
the United States through the protec.
ton of the products of our factories
and our soil and our mines. And while
. we have been at all times unwavering
in our devotion to a protective system
we have at no time advocated or be-
lieved that any particular system of
schedules were of a permanent char.
acter. In the 35 odd years that the
republican party has had legislative
power in the United States there
have been five general revisions OF
the tariff by the republican party, gen.
! orally resulting in a reduction of rates
of duty and, occasionally, when the
necessity required it, there has been
an increase.
Real Question of the Tariff.
"The question has not been is a rate
high or low, but will the duty Increase
, the number of days of work-will it in
t crease the wages, will it make more
certain the constant employment of all
5 of our people, and while this object
) has been the one deemed of most i'm
: portance the result has been almost
e universally reduction in the cost to
the consumer of the necessaries and
: luxuries of life.
, 81 have no doubt that within very
: few years there will be revision OF
t the schedules of the Dingley tariff
but express the opinion because OF
our experience rather than from 8
knowledge of any existing neces
sity,
For example, I sometimes hear mer
II say that the duty on steel manufac
! lures is too high and that it results
> in the present high price of steel. This
Il duty used to be some twenty-eight dol
g lars; it is now more than twenty dol
$ lars less and certainly has not result
T ed in the prohibition of steel importa
L lions for last year the steel and irol
s imported into the United States from
abroad exceeded fifty millions of dol
e lars in value, and when we remembe
that the production of pig iron unde
r the Dingley law has increased from
nine millions of gross tons to nearl,
eighteen millions, it is easy to believ
vt that it is the extraordinary deman,
eel for iron and steel-the universal pros
n perity that we have-rather than
6 drty of seven dollars and Il Fraction
that gives to steel and iron product
1t their present value.
Admlres DingIey Bill.
81 confess that | have an admire
ton for the Dingley tariff bill. l be
lieve that its schedules were deter
=. =, mined upon after careful, laborious
- painstaking study, that they wer
II adopted as the right and proper d,
,, ties that would give the power of prc
y duction to our people. and | do not BIZ
u lieve the silly calumny, promulgate
u after it's great author was in hi
grave, that the rates were purposel
made exorbitantly high in order tina
we might have something to trade o
with other nations in establishin
is reciprocity
IS "Of course, every republican know
is that with changing conditions of ma
IN kets, of volume of production, of cos
| q ta1 L