Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-09-27

,-f 6Tlll E6AOIitl not De lnYOlV- 4
ed In the heated emotions of political |
campaign. Economic necessity rather
than sentiment or political considera-
ton, should @overn. The merchant,
the manufacturers, the workman, the |
great public that buy and the smaller
public that sell are entitled. to a more !
rational and intelligent method of
dealing with this question. 1t Is a.
business question, and should be con- |
suffered from that standpoint. Politics
however, have entered into it--rratheri
than began with it--and that is al
phase with which we must deal until
congress shall create disinterested
tariff commission, capable and empow-
cred to dispose of schedules without
agitating the country and filing the !
minds of the people with apprehension
" 1t be for the benefit of the people
TO change some of the schedules, as 1t
undoubtedly Is where they are too high
or where they are too low, then the
changes should be made.
III, perchance, some of our tariffs
are no longer needed IL, perchance
they cannot be employed to extend or
promote our markets abroad then
should we retain them and stand inert
admitting that we have not the ability
or courage to correct abuses or inius-
uces because of our fear of being jog
gled?
me responsibility is ours to assume
Let us meet it squarely and honestly
as we nave always met such questions
IN the past, and promptly make such
changes as are essential. II surgical
operation Is necessary, then let us APP
ply the knife While the patient is still
In robust health. Then we may enter
the contest of 1908 fearlessly with a
tariff law which every republican can
conscientiously defend, and that every
democrat in active business, and who
KNOWS the difference between a sub
stance and a shadow, dare not vote
against
The faith of the people in the BUSH
ness ability Of a republican adminis-
tration to deal with this question is
such that confidence would at once
take the place Of growing apprehen-
SION that the enemies of the protective
tariff may again lay hands on our in
dustrial system"
! mention these things not for the
purpose of arguing here for change
IN the tariff schedules, because | do
not believe that question to be peril
nent In contest between republicans
ana democrats. have mentioned them
only to show that one may believe in
and stand for notifications of the
schedules, and still be good republic
can.
Tho Governors Position.
Let the people Of the state remem-
Der that my contention has always
been that the revision of the sched-
ules must be in harmony with and
passed upon the protective policy: that
the duties that are too high should be
lowered, but not SO as to impair their
efficiency as protective duties. Duties
should always be high enough to give
the domestic producer his home mar
ket, with a reasonable profit, but they
should never be high enough to enable
the domestic producer to exact an I'M
ralr profit from the domestic consum-
er. The modification i have worked
Tor is therefore republican moditica-
my way Of thinking, that certain, ex-
cessiye duties have compelled Arneri-
can buyers to pay unjust prices, they
have not wrought a 1.-THE of the injury
that would be inflicted by revision or
reduction at. the hands of the demo-
cratic party upon a platform Of tariff
for revenue only.
1t matters not whether the change
from duties for protection to duties for
revenue alone Is made gradually or OBJ
ruptly. the result would be overwheln,-
lngly disastrous. ! can imagine no de-
struction so complete and fatal to our
business and commerce as would fol-
low the mere announcement that the
country had abandoned the protective
policy and adopted the revenue poli-
cy and this without regard to the way
in which the transformation might be
affected. Holding these views. l adj
hered steadily to the task of convinc-
ing my fellow republicans that the
time had come to readjust the sched-
ules of the tariff so that they would
more perfectly embody the protective
doctrine. Some progress has been
made, and more, I hope. will be made
But If any man, be he republican or
democrat, has conceived the idea that
because the republicans are not yet
ready to make these changes, that to
be consistent I must forsake my party
and ioin the ranks of those whose pur-
pose is not to revise a protective tariff,
but to substitute a revenue tariff, he
Is harboring o delusion. He will speed
lily learn that ] am trying to make the
republican party strong and enduring,
and not to deliver it to its enemies.
The Republican Platform.
These suggestions lead me to con-
sideration Of our state platform re-
speeding the tariff. I beg to quote 1t:
We are uncompromisingly In favor
OF the American system of protection.
Duties on foreign imports should not
pc levied for revenue only, but should
be so adjusted as to promote our do
nestle Interests. enlarge our foreign
markets. secure remuneratiye prices
for the products of our factories and
farms, and maintain superior scale
of wages and standard Of living for
American labor. Wise and unseltish
tariff laws maintained in the interest
Of the general welfare, equally oppos-
ed to foreign control and domestic
monopoly, are essential to our COM
mercial and Industrial prosperity. We
believe that all inequalities In the tar
fff schedules which inevitably arise
from changing industrial and CONNER
cfal conditions should be adjusted
from time to time; and condemning
without reserve all assaults upon the
protective system, we favor such rea-
sonable and timely changes. as Will
keep the tariff in harmony with our
Industrial and commercial progress
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