The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1908-08-22
ON
THE TARIFF

lCOnllnued from p. L, ISL Sect1On)
The administration has claimed
credit for the fine against the Stand
ard Oil Company in the case which
was lately reversed, but no effort has
been made to relieve the people from
the fine which is imposed upon them
every day by the Standard Oil Com
pany through the operation of the
tariff law which gives that company
more than 100 per cent protection
against it's chief rival, Russia. What
faith can a rea tariff reformer, wheth
er he be a Republican OR a Democrat.
repose in the Republican leaders,
when they deliberately put off all re-
duction until after election, and then
call for contributions, with the under
standing that the public shall not
know the ame of the contributors
until after the polls are closed?
The Republican platform says that
the tariff Is intended for the Amert-
can manufacturers, farmers and pro-
ducers, and especially for the wage
~earners. If the farmer and the wage
Garner are really the chief beneficiar-
les of the protective system, will the
Republican candidate explain why
the farmer and the wage Garner have
contributed so little to the Republican
campaign fund? Is he willing to pub
lish a list of contributors on the 18th
day of next October and allow the
relative advantage of protection to
the manufacturer, the farmer and
the wage Garner to be measured by
the contributions received from each
class? Why is it that the manufacture
ers are expected to furnish so large
a proportion of the money to run the
campaign, if, as the Republicans
claim, the farmers and the laborers
enjoy so large a proportion in the
benefits of the system? Is it not a sig
nifcent fact that the farmers and
wage earners h are always put in
the foreground when the blessings of
a high tariff are being enumerated
are in the background when the col
lections are being made? Is it not
significant that the manufacturers
WIZ hAoh LIN luhNSs "N So ANNNS
advertised as beneficiaries? Is it not
significant also that the wage earn
ers, instead of the manufacturers,
are always described as the most
direct be~neficiaries of the protective
SYSTEM"
But let us suppose, for the sake OF
argument, that the Republican party
sincerely repents of it's delay in be-
ginning tariff reform, repudiates it's
obligations to the contributing man
ufacturers and honestly begins a ere
vision" What rule is to govern the
revision? The Republican platform
says:
"In all tariff legislation, the true
principle of protection is best main
tanned by the imposition of such du-
ties as will equal the difference be-
tween the cost of production at home
and abroad, together with a reasona-
BILE profit to American industries"
Mr.. Taft endorses this rule and says
that Gin a number of schedules the
tariff now exceeds this difference,
and that the excess offers a tempta-
ton to those who would m~onopolize
the production n sale of such arti-
cles in this country" He adds, how
ever, hat there are some few arti-
| Giles on which the tariff is not suffic-
tently high to give them the measur
Of protection they should receive"
VIII he explain upon what rule n
present tariff was framed? When
have the Republicans claimed more
protection than enough to cover the
difference in the cost of production
here and abroad? The reasonable
profit to American Industries" is IN
addition to the rule, and Is likely to
be used as an excuse for raising the
tariff. And, by the way, to what other
business does the government guar
antee a reasonable profit? To the
farmer, or the merchant or the labor-
err? To none Of these. If in revising
the tariff the Republican party is to
work upon exactly the anne plan Cor
a plan contemplating a higher rate)
what hope have we that the new tar
if will be lower than the present one?
Are the present leaders more honest
than the ones who framed the exist
ing tariff? Are they not, in fact the
same lei who are responsible for
tariff extortions during the last dec
ade? If this newborn zeal for revision
were an hundred times greater than
his notification speech indicates,
wha chance would the Republican
candidate have of securing any real
tariff reform at the hands of such Re-