Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1904-01-26

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business proposition, from the stand
point of the interests Of the country as
whole. and not with reference to the
temporary needs of any political party.
1T is almost as necessary that our poll
cy should be stable as that it should
be WISE" These are the words of
President Roosevelt. part of his me-,
morable speech at Minneapolis on
April 4, 1908 and this address should
in the view Of hundreds of thousands
OF patriotic republicans, form the basis
OF the national platform which will be
framed at Chicago next June. 1t is
SO applicable to the present time and
SO pat just now when those who op-
pose republican policies are limiting
that the President Is with them, that
the Courier reproduces the greater
part OF this speech of Mr.. Roosevelt's
for the benefit of its readers. He said.
Prosperity Unparalleled.
We are now In condition of pros.
perity unparalleled not merely II, our
own history but in the history OF any
other nation. This prosperity is deep
rooted and stands on firm basis be-
cause 1T is due to the fact that the av.
erage American has in him the stuff
out OF which victors are made in the
great industrial contests of the pres
,ent day, Just as in the great military
contests Of the past and because he is,
now able to use and develop his quail
ties to, best advantage under our we'll
established economic system. We
are winning headship among the ma
tions OF the world because our people
are able to keep their high average of
individual citizenship and to show
their mastery in the hard, complex.
pushing life of the age. There will be
fluctuations from time to time, in our
prosperity, but 1t will continue to grow
Just so long as we keep up this high
average of individual citizenship and
permit it to work out it's own salvation
under proper economic legislation.
Prosperity Won Under This Tariff.
The present phenomenal prosperity
has been won under tariff which was
made In accordance with certain fixed
and definite principles, the most i'm
portant of which is an avowed deter
mination to protect the interests of the
American producer, business man,
wage worker, and farmer alike. The
general tariff policy, to which without
regard to changes In detail, believe
this country is irrevocabiy committed
Is fundamentally based upon a recoq.
milton Of the difference betweet, TIE
cost ffproductlon-that Is, .he cost of
| labor-here and abroad, and Of the
need to see to 1t that our laws shall in
no event afford advantage in our own
market to foreign capital over Ameri-
arifaI 70 IAL
own labor.
Needs High Citizenship.
| This country has and this country
needs better paid, better educated. bet.
ter fed, and better clothed working
men, than are to be found In any for.
eian country.
1t has and needs higher, more Wig
orous and more prosperous type of
| tillers Of the soil than is nos
sessed by any other country. The
| business men, the merchants and man.
ufacturers, and the managers Of the
transportation interests show the
same superiority when compared with
men of their type abroad. The events
of the last few years have shown how
sliillfully the leaders of American in
dustry used in international business
competition the mighty industrial
| weapons forged for them by the re-
sources of our country. the wisdom of
our laws. and the skill the inventive
| genius. and the administrative capac.
| ity Of our people.
Tariff Policy Must Be Stable.
4 1t is, of course, mere truism to say
that we want to use everything in our
| power to Eoster the welfare of CIR en-
| tire body polite. In other words, we
need to treat the tariff as business
proposition, from the standpoint Of the
interests of the country as a whole,
and not with reference to the tempo.
rary needs of any political party. .It
| is almost as necessary that our policy
should be stable as that it should be
wise. A nation like ours could not
long stand the rIlinous policy of adj
iusting its business to radical changes
in the tariff at short intervals, espep
cially when, IS now, owing to the. I'm.
mense extent and variety OF, our pro.
ducts, the tariff schedules carry rates
of duty on thousands of different ar
tieles
Radical Changes Dangerous.
Sweeping and violent changes In
SdSiI q ee'i'its tNhS'ttt 81 tltdtIy InG
interests Of all Of US. embracing sari-
culture, labor. manufactures and com.
merce, would be disastrous In any
event, and they would be fatal to our
present wei! being If approached on
the theory that the principle. Of the
protective tariff was tc be abandoned
The business world, that is, the entire
American world, cannot afford, If it
has any regard for its weIfara, even to
consider the advise billy of abandon
ms the present system.
When Changes Should Be Made.
Yet, On the other hand, where indus
trial conditions SO frequently change,
as with Us must of necessity be the
case, 1t is matter of prime import
ance that we should be able from time
to time to adopt our economic policy
to the changed conditions. Our aim
should be to preserve the policy Of a
protective tariff, in which the nation
as whole has acquiesced, and yet
wherever and whenever necessary a.