The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1907-08-23

friends of the president and his ad.
ministration will find in the Taft ad-
lress an expression heartily in ac-
cord with their own ideas and their
own opinions concerning the admins.
tration.
The particular feature of the speech
Of Secretary Taft which the public
was curious to hear because 1t is con-
sidered to be very much a Taft plank
as apart from the ideas Of the presi-
dent, was that portion relating to the
tariff. And in this particular the war
secretary and presidential candidate
said just exactly what might have
been expected-just what he said in
Bath Me, more than a year ago and
just what he repeated here in Norfolk
on his recent western trip. He de-
clared himself to be, as has the repub-
lican party always been, protection
list. He declared himself to be in ia
vor of levying protective tariff COW
ering the margin between cost of pro-
duction in this country and cost of
production abroad, and high enough
to give the American manufacturer a
fair profit for his out-turn.
He is in favor of a revision of the
tariff in certain portions, but he plain.
ly points out that this revision should
not be attempted at all until the re-
publican party, the tariffs maker and
defender, is ready to do the work.
The logic of this argument is clear
enough to any who recall the days of
1893 when, following the democratic
destruction of the tariff, the whole
country's prosperity went to pieces
claring that there are tariff duties
which ought to be shaved to meet
new conditions, still explains what
many are pleased to term "tinkering
with the tariff" is a perilous business
at best and that to wait eighteen
months can invite no commercial dis
aster.
On this point, that the tariff should
not be recklessly meddled with and
particularly not by the democratic re-
vision along free trade lines, pretty
nearly the whole country today, at
present enjoying unprecedented pros.
perity, will agree.
But on the point that the repub-
lican party owes it to itself as a mat
ter of eXpediency to pledge itself in
favor of prompt revision of the Ding
ley bill as soon as the next presiden-
tial election is over. there will I'M
questionably arise opponents of the
faith that present prosperity should
not be tempered with in so vital an
organ as the protective tariff, lest
harm be done. Indeed the president
himself at no distant date declared
that rather than run the risk of doing
unlimited harm to American business
interests, the tariff should not be med
died with at the present time. And
so there will be many to differ with
Secretary Taft in this respect. There
will be many who will COncede that
theoretically certain parts in the tariff
ought to be doctored, but who will at
the same time earnestly believe that
would involve many unforeseen and
altogether dangerous difficulties. The
secretary thinks that it would be nei-
Their wise nor safe not to pledge revi-
sion. If revision is pledged it should
be carried out. The matter of wheth-
er it is truly eXpedient, after all, to
promise to undertake so serious a job,
in view of the country's present pros
perity and the present abundance of
work for the laboring man, must there
fore be threshed out between now and
the time when a presidential candi-
date is put forth.
Secretary Taft engages in a word
jabbing ARRAY with Mr.. Bryan to the
extent Of replying to Mr.. Bryan's re-
peated questions as to what ought to
be done with the trusts. Secretary
Taft makes no effort to shy off at the
query and frankly admits that he
would regulate illegal combinations of
capital in restraint of trade by govern.
ment injunction, and that he would
go further than that by enacting laws
to jail officials guilty of violating laws
preventing the suppression of compe,
tition.
Answering the charge of President
Roosevelts critics that the president
is tending toward socialism and the
; destruction of individual property, the
| secretary declares that confiscation OF
property would destroy indiyidualism
: and society's progress, but defends
the presidents views in regard tc
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