Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1904-09-21

berry" they of course must mean that II is
immoral to enact a tariff designed las is The
present protective tariff to secure to the
American wage worker the benefit of tha
high standard Of living which we desire to
see kept up In this country. Now, 10 sneak
of the tariff In this sense as robbery .
thereby giving Il a moral relation, is not
merely rhetorical. it is on its face false
The question Of what tariff is best for our
people is primarily one of expediencey 10
be determined not on abstract academic
grounds but In the light of experience. II
Ia matter of business for f1iudamento1i,,
ours Is a business people manufacturers
merchants, farmers. wage workers, profes.
slonal men, all alike.
Our experience as a people In the mast
has certainly not shown MS that we couId
afford in this matter TO follow those Dro-
fessional councillors who have confined
themselves to study In the closet; for the
actual working Of the tariff has emDhat
icaily contradicted their theories. From
time to time schedules must undoubtrdlv
be rearranged and readjusted to meet mo
shifting needs Of the country, but this can
with safety be done only by those who
are committed to the cause of the nro.
tectlve system.
be to insure the prostration Of business. the
closing of factories, the impoverisbment Of
the farmer the ruin Of the capitalist and
the starvation Of the wage worker
Yet. If protection is indeed robbery -
and II our opponents really believe what
they say, then II is precisely to the he
struction and uprooting OF the tariff, 49,
therefore Of orr business and Industry. that
they are pledged. When our opponents
last obtained power It was on n platform
declaring prottcti tariff ''unconstitu-
tional:" and the eject to put this declara-
tion into practice vas one of the causes
Of the general national prostration lasting
from 1893 to 1897. II protective tariff Is
either unconstitutional or robbery
them II is just as unconstitutional. just as
much robbery. to revise II down. still leay-
ing II protective, as 1t would be Ia enact It,
In other words our opponents have com
mitted themselves TO the destruction Of the
protective principle Ia the tariff, using
words which, il honestly used. forbid them
from permitting this principle to obtain I'm
even the smallest degree,
Onr opponents assert that they believe
In reciprocity Their action on the most
important reciprocity treaty recently negn-
tiated-that with Cuba-does not bear out
reciprocity unless there Is n substantial
tariff; free trade and reciprocity are not
compatible We are ON record as fnYoring
arrangements for reciprocal trade relations
with other countries. these arrangements TO
be on an equal basis Of benefit to both
the contracting parties.
Pledges to Aid Commerce.
The Republican party stands pledged to
every wise and consistent method OF in
creasing the foreign commerce II the cOun-
try. That 1t has kept its pledge Is proven
by the fact that while the domestic trade
Of this country exceeds I'm volume the en-
tions ~ the world. the United States have
In addition secured more than an eighth VI
the export trade Of the world, standing
first among the nations In this respect.
1t Is Il matter Of regret that the protect
I've tariff policy. which during the last
furty-odd years has become part Of the
very fiber OF the country, Is not now ac-
cepted as definitely established Surely we
have a right 10 say that II has passed be
yond the domain Of theory and a right to
expe., that uot only Its original advocates
but those who al one time dlstrUsted Il on
theoretic grounds should now acquiesce Ia
the results that have been proved over
and over again By actual experience These
forty-oed years have heen the most pros
porous years this n on has ever seen.
more prosperous yeas than any other ma
tion has ever seen. Beyond question this
prosperity could not have come IL the Amer
lean people had not possessed the neces-
sary thrift. energy and business intelll-
gence 10 turn their vast material resources
10 account But II L. no less true hat n
Is our economic policy as regards the tBrih
and finance which has enabled US a. u ma
tfon 10 make such good use Of the iudiyd-
uai capacities Of our citizens and the nat
urel resources Of our country.
Every class Of our people Is benefited by
the protective tsTin. During the last few