Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-07-21

With q gloriou history behind us,
stretching from Bunker Hill to Ma.
Mia Bay, from Faneuel Hall to The
Hague, from the settlement at James.
town to the world wonder of science,
art and letters, of agriculture, indus.
try and invention, now to be wit.
messed on the western bank Of the
Mississippi, there ID today scarcely q
principle III our political code distin.
gushing our republic from the mon.
arches of the old world that the re.
publican party does not deny or as.
sail.
, And If you we're to ask me to tell
you what the issues Of this campaign
are to be, l would answer that the
democracy of the republic is called
upon of God to fight the battles OF
constitutional government and to
champion the, rights of man.
Tariff Taxation and Revision.
The greatest question of the hour
is the question of taxation, the issue
around which all the great battles OF
freedom have been fought. and from
which flow all the issues of nations
life.
We stand for the policy of taxation
that will protect the masses of our
people from excessive and eXtortion.
ate taxation for the benefit of the few
We believe in protecting every man
in the full enjoyment of the fruits of
his labor, diminished only by the
proper payment for the support of the
government, economically and honest.
ly administered.
We stand for tariff reform, because
without such reform the American
consumer is condemned to perpetual
system of larceny and fraud.
A system that wrings by indirection
countless millions Of dollars and di.
verts them unearned into the pockets
of a favored few beneficiaries of a
servile congress is a system of state
larceny. The man who says that those
who toll and spin must pay tribute
from their meager wage to the men
who hold monopoly on what we eat
and wear Is an enemy more danger.
GUS to our institutions than the low.
proved tiend of foreign brogue who
works over his bomb in cellar or gar.
ret and broods assassination.
The system of protection as now de.
Tended by the republican party is the
most insolent and brutal exercise of
the taxing power of government ever
witnessed by people capable of gov.
erning themselves.
1t was confessedly levied against
the weak for the benefit of the strong
1t was levied upon the masses in the
interest of campaign fund, and it is
maintained because the republican
party is powerless to withdraw the
bride for fear of punishment.
But seDao republicans promise us a
revision Of the tariff. The republican
platform adopted at Chicago says that
rates of duty should be readjusted
only when conditions have SO changed
that the public interest demands their
alteration
This is the republican declaration
for tariff revision--a monstrous prop
osition to an intelligent people de-
manding relief from the excessive
burdens of taxation.
No honest man who knows the sig,
niicance of language will contend
that this plank in the republican plat.
form is a pledge for tariff reduction
Tariff readjustment is promised some
sweet day. but "only" when ''condi.
tions has SO changed that the public
interest demands" them. How long
Oh, Lord, how long,"
The great historical fact Is that the
republican party has never yet re.
vised our tariff laws that it did not
raise the tax upon American consum.
ers, and the American people should
pray increasingly to be delivered from
another revision of the tariff by the
republican party.
The settled policy of that party is to
increase the custom duties. While
the Dingley bill continues to serve
their purposes, they will "stand pat, .
and when the exigencies of the party
require they promise us another raise
The party which has for it's battle.
cry the gamblers phrase will never
drive the gamblers out.
We firmly believe that instead Of a
revision downward the tariff wall will
be steadily raised until retaliation by
foreign nations, already begun, will
absolutely destroy our export trade.
In lieu of this prospect, we offer the
county the hope vouchsafed in the
democratic platform, which declares:
1--WE favor a wise, conservative and
businesslike revision of the tariff by
the friends of the masses and for the
common veal, and not by the friends
of it's abuses, its extortions and it's
Determinations.
eve favor the reduction Of the tar.
iff upon trust-produced articles to the
point when foreign competition may
enter the American market whenever
trusts and confines, seeking monopo.
ly, raise their prices to the American
consumers above a reasonable and
just profit, by such reduction depriv.
ing trusts and monopolies of the pow.
er to extort from the American PEG.
pie under shelter of American law
prices higher than these charged for.
eigners for identical articles"
Here is a pledge of constructive
policy that offers relief. Here is a
pledge of honor and a ray of hope.
Reciprocity and Trade With Canada.
In recent years the people have
heard much Of reciprocity as a means
of modifying the tariff. The brilliant
Blaine realized that American indus.
tries had reached a point in their
development far beyond the period of
infant industry" and that the. time
had come when letters should be
stricken from American trade. From
across the ocean he commanded re.