Ottumwa semi-weekly courier., 1903-09-29

OF the article projected, in the country
which levies the duty.
Mr.. Sullivan finds much food for mel
ancholy in the fact. that the phrase:
we favor any modification of the
tariff schedules that may be required
to prevent their affording shelter to
monopoly" found in the re-
publican platforms of 1901 and
1902, was not repeated in
terms in the platform of 1903, and be-
cause favored the substitution of an
other expressionI He asserts that the
clause in our platform substituted for
the one to which l have just refer
red is:
Duties that are too low should be
increased, and duties that are too high
should be reduced.,'
In suggesting, my distinguished
friend does not use the fairness have
a right to expect. If he has read our
platform with any care, he knows that
the phrase which was substituted for
the one he quotes reads as follows:
Tariff rates enacted to carry this
policy into effect should be just, fair,
and impartial, equally opposed to-
foreign control and domestic monop-
oly."
Claims No Influence.
claim no greater influence in the,
councils of the republican party than,
is exercised by it's humblest member
and hope that will not be accused,
OF Wanting myself when say that L
am more responsible for the substitu-i
ton OF the one expression for the 9TH
er than any other man concerned in.
the construction of the platform I
give absolute loyalty to the platform
of this year, for with respect to the
subject of which | am now speaking,
they are identical in thought and pur-
pose. l prefer the expression of this
year, for believe it to be clearer, and
more emphatic than the expression of
last year. fancy Mr.. Sullivan has ac-;
cepted the headlines of some enthus-
lastic reporter and has not made him
self familiar with the real declaration
OF the republican convention. / hope
that at some future time he will inform
his listeners what the words:
Tariff rates enacted to carry this
pollcy into effect should be just, fair,
and impartial, equally opposed to for
elgn control and domestic monopoly,
to sectional discrimination and indi-
vidual favoritism, and must from. time
to time be changed to meet the vary
ing conditions incident to the pro-
gress OF our industries and their chang
ing relations to our foreign and do
mestic commerce." mean. Let him
tell the people, especially what con
istruction he puts upon the statement
that Tariff rates should be opposed
to domestic monopoly" l do not pre-
tend to be the master. do not pretend
TO have explored all the treasures of
our mother-tongue, but in the limited
range of my knowledge do not know.
OF any words that express the thought
that our protective spstem must be
the unrelenting foe of monopoly more
clearly than the words chosen by the
republican convention. They not only
mean that tariff duties shall not shell
ter monopoly, but they mean that tar
iff duties shall be arrayed against mo-
nopoly. | commend to my fair-minded
adversary-a re-reading of the platform
and that he. discover the meaning of
| its terms. not ii tie lightning flashes
of partisan debate, but in the calm
and tranquil glow of an unabridged
dictionary.
Republican Policies.
1t matters but little, however. what
believe, what ! have done, or what /
have said. The important question is:
What does the republican party be-
lleYe, what are its purposes, what has
it done, and what has it said? 1t be-
lieves in the policy of protection, and
il we may credit the evidence Of our
senses, large proportion of the dem
,ocratic party also believes in the poll
cy OF protection. When, however. we
undertake the task of applying this
policy to the commerce of the nation,
differences OF opinion at once appear
There always have been these differ
ences, and there always will be. I'm
der the law of 1897, which bears the
name of pure patriot and great
statesman, substantially one-half of
the imports into the United States are
admitted free. Some of these imports
are things we do not and cannot pro-
duce. Others are in the nature of
raw material, the admission of which,
free of duty, is intended to enable the
resulting commodities to be profitably
prOQuCeu III ILLS country. III ltS IlU-
eral sense, no such thing as raw
material ever came into port Of the
United States, nor was pure raw ma
terial ever offered for sale in any mar
ket, for the manifest reason that be-
| fore anything can become of any val
ue, either labor or capital must have
been employed in its creation. In a
commercial sense, however, raw ma
terial represents minimum of labor.
1t follows that whenever any particu-
lar article is proposed as raw material,
men differ respecting it and respecting
the propriety of admitting it free of
duty. Recurring to something already
said, reiterate that when it is pro-
posed to levy protective duty upon
anything that may be imported, the
| question at once arises: What duty
shall be laid upon it? Abstractly, all
| protectionists agree upon the criterion.
1 1t should be such duty as should en-
able the home producers of the article
to make and sell it in the domestic
markets at a fair profit Here. again,
men of the most mature intelligence
and of the most sincere convictions di-
vide, and the differences must be com
posed as all other differences are. 1t
| ic irppoccih1n IN, ia riff cahadulaS