The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-09-12


necessary. The administration Of the grea
body OF the classified civil service Is fret
from politics, and appointments ana re-
, movals have been put upon business OASIS
Statistics show that there is little diner,
ence between the tenure OF the Fedora
classified employees and that OF the en-
ployees OF private business corporations
Less than one per cent. OF the ciassinec
employees are over 10 years OF age, ana ~
the main the service rendered is vigorous
and efficient. Where the merit system y, wae
OF course most needed was In the rhiip,
pine Islands; and civil service law OF
very advanced type has there been paa'
into operation and scrupulously observed
Without one exception every appointment
In the Philippines has been made IN &C
oordance with the strictest standard OF nj
ness. and without heed to any other coy
sideration.
Democratic Tarin Insincerity.
Finally, we come to certain, matters
upon which our opponents do In their plat-
form Of principles definitely take issue
with US, and where, II they. are sinoere,
country. But exactly as 1t is impossible
to call attention to the present promises
and past record Of our opponents without
seeming offensive, 30 1t is impossible 70
compare their platform with their otner
and later Official utterances and not create
yate or unofficial utterances many OF them
frankly advance this insincerity as merit,
taking the position that as regards tne
points on which am about to speak they
have no intention OF keeping their promises
or Of departing from the policies now es.
trusted not to abuse the power they seek. i.
When we take up the great question OF
the tariff we are at once confronted oy the
doubt as to whether our opponents 40 or
do not mean what they say. They say
that projection is robbery and promise Use
given power. Yet prominent persons
among them assert that they do not really
mean this and that II they come into power
they will adopt our policy as REGARDS the
tariff; while others seem anxious 20 prove
that 1t is safe to give them partial power
and therefore they would not be able to
do mischief The last Ia certainly a curious
plea to advance on behalf OF party seek
Ing to obtain control OF the, government.
At the outset 1t Is worth while to say
q word as to the attempt to identity tne
ton with q solution Of the trust question.
This Is always a sign of desire to avoid any
real effort to deal adequately with the trust
question. In speaking on this point at
Minneapolis on April L., 1908. ! said:
'The question Of tarih revision, SPEAKING
question Of dealing with the trusts, No
change in tariff duties can have any sub
stantial effect in solving the 80 called trust
problem. Certain great trusts or, great
corporations are wholly unaffected by the
tariff. Almost all the others that are OF
numbers Of smaller American competitors;
and Of course a change In the tarin which
would work injury to the large corporation
would work not merely injury but destruc-
ton to its smaller competitors ana equally
of course such change would mean dis.
with either the large or the small corpora
lions. From the standpoint OF those in
terested In the solution OF the trust problem
such change would therefore merely mean
that the trust was relieved OF the COM
petition OF It's weaker American competi-
with foreign competitors; and that the first
effort to meet this new composition would
be made by cutting down wages, and
would therefore be primarily at the cost
Of labor. In the case OF some OF our greatest
trusts such a change might confer upon
1t is evident that the changes In the tariff
will affect the trusts for veal or for woe
simply as they affect the whole country.
Tho tariff Affects trusts only as II affects
all other interests. II makes all these
interests large or small profitable; ana an It's
under penalty Of taking them from the
small Also
what Tarin Uncertainty would Mean.
There Is little for me to add to this. 1t
is but ten years since the last attempt was
made, by means Of lowering the tariff. to
prevent eome people from prospering too
much. The attempt was entirely success
full. The tariff law of that year was among
the causes which in that year and for some
time afterward effectually prevented any
from prospering at all. Undoubtedly it
would be possible at the present time to
prevent any OF the trusts from remaining
prosperous by the simple ,expedient OF
making such a sweeping change in the
tariff as to paralyze the Industries OF the
The trusts would cease TO prosper,
but their smaller competitors would be
ruined and the wage workers would starve,
while 1t would not pay the farmer TO haul
his produce to market The evils con-
nected with the trusts can be reached only
by rational effort, step by step, along the
lines taken by Congress and the Executive
during the past three years. II tariff
law is passed under which the country pros
pels, as the country has prospcred under
The present tariff law. then all classes will
share in the prosperity. II tarih law
is passed aimed at preventing the pros
as anything can be that this aim will be
achieved only by cutting down the pros
perity Of all Of our people.
or course, II our opponents are not sin
cere In their proposal to abolish the system
Of protective tariff, there Is no use In argyll
Ing the matter at all, save by pointing out
again that II on one great issue they do not
mean what they say II Is hardly safe to
trust them on any other issue. But II
they are sincere in this matter, then their
advent to power would mean domestic
misfortune and misery as widespread and
far reaching as that which We saw ten
years ago. When they speak Of protec-
lion as robbery" they Of course must
mean that 1t Is Immoral to enact a tar III
las Is the present protective tariff
10 secure to the American wage worker
he benefit OF the high standard of living
which we desire to see kept up In this
country. Now, to speak Of the tariff in
his sense as robbery" thereby giving ii |
l moral relation, is not merely rhetorical,
b ia on its face false. The question OF |
what tariff Is best for our people is pri- |
narily one Of expediency to be determined |
,ot on an abstract academic grounds, |
nut In the light Of experience. 1t Is mat |
er Of business for fundamentally ours ia |
business people-manufacturers, mer-
,hants, farmers. wage workers. profess |
,ionsi men, all alike. Our experience as a |
people in the past has certainly not shown |
rs that we could afford in this matter to |
olow those professional counsellors who |
,loset; for the actual working Of the tariff |
las emphatically contradicted their theories. |
from time to time schedules must un- !
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