The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1906-05-25
H T AIR CHALLENGE
What q St. Paul Newspaper Says Of
His Recent "Defi."

From Thursdays Daily.
James Thompson McCleary, misrepre
sentative of the second congressional
district, has directed the secretary of
his district committee to ask Mr.. Frank
Eddy to meet him in Joint debate, pre-
liminary to the primaries, we assume,
on the tariff question. He also directs
that his challenge be extended to Mr..
Gilbert Guttersen who has announced
his candidacy for representative from
that district. He reverses the usual
rule that the challenged party shall
state the conditions and terms, and i'm
poses them himself. He states that he
stands unequivocally and without slut
tering, for the policy of protection and
reciprocity as enunciated in the repub-
lican platform of 1904, as it has been
interpreted by President Roosevelt" If
Mr. Eddy OF Mr. Guttersen oppose that
platform as interpreted by the president,
he will be most happy to meet them on
the hastings.
Platforms of parties, like those of
railway passenger cars, are made to get
in on. Passengers are warned not to
stand on the platform and political par
ties act on the warning if they never
give it. Acts, both of parties and men,
LII Al,a 1c I'xxrn
have elapsed since the republican plat
form makers declared that protection
is cardinal principle but that the
standard forl5 measuring the quantity
of the principle should always at least
equal the difference in cost of produc-
ton at home and abroad" and it also
said the party believes in commercial
reciprocity wherever it, wouldn't hurt
anybody. Following 2that President
Roosevelt, reelected, urged congress to
be guided in any action on the, tariff
by the principle that the measure. of
protection should always, at least, equal
the difference of labor cost (not cost of
production) here and abroad. One con-
gress has passed out and another is hall
expired and no effort whatever has been
made to revise the ratespa Even SO
moderate "a proposal as tosreducel to one
hundred per cent adj valorem all duties
above that rate is smothered in the
committee of ways and means at whose
table McCleary sits fourth in rank
from the head.
Mr.. McCleary is merely indulging in
shot air" when he asks Mr.. Guttersen
to discuss the tariff on the basis even of
the difference in cost of production
He himself, would not entertain for a
moment rates based upon that princi-
pie He would not dare to face on the
stump the array of facts that his OPP
ponent could adduce that every rate in
the Dingley act insults that standard,
and he himself has declared that rates
might be raised" As to reciprocity he
has declared that he favOrs 1T only in
"noncompeting" products, which means
that there should be no reciprocity
whatever He told the Bostonese in
February, 1905, that reciprocity is but
as sounding brass and tinkling sym
ball He told them that when they
put hides or wool on the free list I'VE"
will put shoes and woolens on the free
list eff you want that in New Eng
land then go ahead with revision"
That McCleary is capable of pretend
ing to favor rates that equal the cost
of production here and abroad while OPP
posing every movement to reduce rates
to that standard is only acting in ac-
cord with his nature. He is not, as the
Mankato Board of Trade said of him,
above .resorting to "a desreputable
trick" to whist. Paul Dispatch.