Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-24
RAYNER ON PROTECTION
HE DECLARES THAT IT'S RooSE-
WELT AGAINST WORLD.

At big meeting OF democrats at Easton,
Nd, last night the event was a speech by
Senator Rayner. He commenced by say
ing that the republicans insist upon claim
ing that the issue is Roosevelt vel non."
TT Is not the republican party against the
democratic party" he continued; ''it is not
a high protective tariff against a tariff for
revenue; 1t is not colossal combinations of
aggrandized wealth against the consumer;
1t is Roosevelt against the world. l would
like to take up this issue if 1t addressed It
self to the common sense of any intelligent
audience in the present contest, but it does
not and the republican speakers all through
the country are evading the issues that now
concern every home in America and are
parading under the mask of Roosevelt.
Going Behind the Mask.
Il propose to go behind the mask and ex-
pose. II can, the infirmities that it con-
ceals. The President made a definite prom
Use before the last election that the tariff
should be revised by its friends If his party
were successful. His party was successful
and the promise has been broken because
as Speaker Cannon says, Congress is not in
g. judicial frame of mind to make the re-
vision upon the eve Of a congressional cleo
ton. What grim and CHASTITY satire upon
the rights of the American people. The
American Protective League, which is en-
tirely composed of laboring men and wage
earners who are each of them worth be-
tween 81 GOO GOO and s20,O0O,GOO. did not put
the proposition in that way. On the con-
trary, when the last congressional returns
came in these public benefactors and phi
lanthropists Immediately announced that
they had won their fight and that the tariff
would not be disturbed. And the President,
with the aptitude that distinguishes him
for changing his mind, forthwith became a
convert at the affairs Of this rapacious crew
Of protectionfsts who have been plundering
the consumers of the country now for near
ly half a century.
A Democratic Tariff.
II am not an extremist on the tariff
and would not propose. If l had the power,
Immediately to break up every industry in
this country by putting everything on the
free list. l am for a tariff for revenue,
however and not for tariff for protection.
The Walker revenue bill of 1916 and the
Wilson tariff bill as it left the House of
Representatives are the ideals along the
lines of which l would work. My friend
Frank Wachter, who is as popular man
as we have in Baltimore and fellow of
infinite jest and most excellent fancy when
he has his bells on, said the other day in a
speech at a republican gathering that We
always had panic after a democratic tar
if. Now, Wacilter has plenty of sense, and
1 want him to take his bells off and refresh
his memory and he will discover that the
Wilson tariff act never went into existence
until the panic OF 1893 was over, and that
Mr.. Blaine, in the valuable contributions
he made to American history, asserted
that as great an era of prosperity as this
country has ever had was under the Walker
tariff and under the democratic administra-
tons.
A Republican Tariff.
Now let me come to the present tariff
Section of the Dingley tariff bill points
with a glaring light toward the fraud that
permeates almost every other section of the
bill. President Mckinley was perfectly
honest about it. He wanted to make room
for reciprocity conventions. Some satanic
amba ssador from the American Protective
League then appeared upon the scene Of
the committees proceedings and said: All
right; we will do this We have all the
protection we want now under this BILL
but in order to oblige President Mckinley
we will just raise her 20 per cent. and
within that margin you can have all the
reciprocity you want Now look at the in
iquity: There never was any reciprocity
and the 20 per cent is there today-that