Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1903-04-09
SEC'Y ROOT ON
TARIFF SCHEDULES
Calls Attention to Directors
Who See Nothing Wrong
in Existing Conditions.
SAYS TARIFF is NOT SACRED
But He Holds It Better to Endure Some
Faults Than Destroy By Tinkering-
Expression Regarded as that of the Ad-
ministration.

AhahAsttattoh
Boston, April 3.-Elihu Root, secre-
tary OF war. and U. S. Senator Henry
Cabot Lodge of Massachusetts,, were
the guests of honor and the principal
speakers last night at the annual din.
ner OF the Home Market club, the rep
resentative republican organization of
New England. The occasion was of
signal interest because last night the
speeches of Secretary Root and SEN
ator Lodge were regarded particular
ly as the words of the administration
at Washington on the anticipated is
sues of the next national campaign.
Secretary Root spoke on the tariff
and Mr.. Lodge on the question OF
Canadian reciprocity and of the charg.
es made against the American SOL
diers In the Philippines.
Secretary Root said in part:
81 remember hearing Mr. Tilden say
that II you put hundred men in a
room and made any proposition what.
ever to them, some one of the hun
dred would dispute II.
Reducing this saying to its lowest
degree of one in hundred we must
look for at least 100000 among the
people of the United States in whose
Sery 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 its
attention to the existing protective
system of the United States. IL we
had been a free trade country they
would have been protectionists. AS
we have long been a protectionisl
country they are free traders. To
them are joined the members of the
democratic party, who desire change
of administration and who demand
what they call revision OF the pro-
tective tariff, but which they really
mean to be a destruction of the pro-
tective tariff. Along with them go, to
some extent, certain good men ana
true men who urge real revision of
the tariff. which they believe will
make 1t better protective tariff than
it is now.
In speaking of the true nature and
necessary effect of the proceedings
which these citizens wish congress to
take, the secretary said he assumed
first that the principle of protection
should be maintained, and next, that
the people of the United States are
now enjoying period Of extraordl.
nary prosperity and that they don't
want that prosperity to end.
"The question Is not whether under
some other law we might or might not
have become prosperous, or whether
under some other law we may or may
not in the future attain prosperity.
1t is that the prosperity we have now
today is 'the prosperity OF productive
enterprise which has adjusted itself
to the conditions that this Dingley
law has created, and the stability Of
those conditions In substance Is essen.
tial to the continuance of this present
period of prosperity.
There is no fetish in the tariff
schedules and no sacredness In partic-
ular rates of duty. II sarough original
error of changes of conditions the pro-
visions of the law work i'll to the
country, then at the proper time and
In the proper way sensible people
will change the law. II law is work
ing well as a whole. common sense
requires that we should endure some
faults, even though they are serious,
rather than destroy the general good
effect by constant tinkerlng."
Speaking OF the cry for revision VI
the tariff as being the protector Of
trusts, Secretary Root said we cannot
get rid of trusts by revising the tariff
unless we are ready TO reduce the
duties in the classes OF manufacture
in which the so-called trusts are en-
gaged--that is to say, In all the princi-
pal kinds of manufacture-to such an
extent as to put an end to all Ameri
can manufacture.
''In each class" said the secretary.
''the trust is the strongest and II
duties are lowered below the point of
adequate protection, the Independent
manufacturer will go to the wall first.
Il is impossible that reduction OF
duties should wipe out trusts except
as it wiped out American manufac-
ture. When that happens, free
trader and protectionist alike
will have substituted the foreign
trusts for domestic trusts. and the
prosperity of foreign workmen for
the prosperity of American work.
men.
"The question Is whether there are
really existing evils to be cured as
great as the evils to be endured from
the long and difficult process of re-
vision.
In conclusion the secretary said:
I'm determining when and how that
process shall be undertaken two car
dinal rulos should be observed
First, II should be done only when
congress is as free as possible from
lne distractions and temptations of an
active political campaign. When con-
gress settles down to attend to bust
ness II Is a very wise complete and
effective body. When II is playing
politics it contributes more of bril-
liancy to the impending campaign
Fairfield viii vote Aprii 6 on issu.
ing $4,000 of school house building
bonds.
A new school house win be built ct
Garden Grove.
Gutenberg has voted bonds TO build
a new school house.
Ladora will expend $4,000 on new
school house.
Taylor township, Marshal county,
will build a $4,000 central school.
Charles Weitz & Sons of Des
Moines, have a contract for new
buildings at the Mitchellville indus
trial school.
Nashua will build high school to
cost $4,000.
oelwein voted $4,000 Of bonds to
build a new high school.
Tifin will build new school house
Wall Lake will put $4,000 into a
new school house.
The Scandinavian LutheraEs sill
build a church at Armstrong.
The second Presbyterian society of
Cedar Rapids has plans for q new
church.
The German NJ. r. society will bald
a new church in Charles City
The Catholics will hiiil a church