The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-22


 lican leaders are conscious that the pa tience of the public has been strained to the point of breaking, and it is almost pathetic to note the solicitude which they now feel about doing a-thing which but for wilful neglect. might have been done at any time during the last 10 years.
 Party Obligations.
 Are we not Justified in saying that the people cannot safely entrust the execution of this important work to party which is so deeply obligated to the highly pro- tected interests as is the republican party?' The fat frying process has be- come familiar to the American people. Pressure has been brought to bear upon the protected interests every four years and to a less extent in the congressional campaigns between presidential elections to compel contributions to the campaign fund in return for former favors and Tn anticipation of faVors yet to come. It is difficult to overestimate the corrupting influences introduced into the political lie of the nation by this partnership between the government and the favored indus tries. The literature circulated in support of a protective tariff has studiously oulti- vated the idea that suffrage should pc employed to secure pecuniary returns, and the appeal made by the republican ledQeIS HAS COlllt u bt iAioAS eNAANA selfish one Every man engaged in protected industry has been approached with the proposition that it is dollars In his pocket to maintain the system, while those who could not possibly trace any tangible benefits to themselves have been beguiled with the assurance that 1t was all matter of public spirit and that they ought to support the system out or pa- triotic love of country. If attention was lad ta ba that the farmer was taxed for the benefit of the manufae- turer, the triple answer was that it would come back to him indirectly; that It dld not amount to much for each farmer any how; and that man was small mlnded who would begrudge so insignihcant contribution to the nations prosperity. The plan has been to keep the taxpayers quiet by keeping them in the dark as to the operation of the law, and then to con centrate the votes and influence of the taxeaters in favor of a continuation or high tariff legislation. If a tarln or 30 per cent was imposed upon a gwen article of merchandise 1t was assumed that those engaged in the production ol the article would contribute nberaliy 10 keep up the tariff. It was also assuiheo 'a that the employees would vote with their employers to keep from having thelr wages reduced, and it was expected that the business men of the town would also vote for the tariff because Of the pusl- ness brought to the community by the protected industry. Those who are ae- ouainted with the tariff fight Know 10 what an extent the pecuniary argument has been used The recent republican nlatform is a bugle call to every bene- ficiary of special privilege, to enlist agaln under the republican banner, ana when the election is over and the repuphcah committee publishes the list or cohtrlp- utors-too late to make the informatloh valuable-it will be found that the re- publican party has again so oDhealeo itself to the protected interests as to be unable to make a revision III the llleieses of the consumers.
 Refusal To Act.
 with a president who, toward the close of his term, admitted the necessity Tor tariff revision, with a two-thirds majority in the Senate and nearly 60 majority In the House. the republican party has re- fused to permit any revision whatever MT. Williams, the leader of the minority in the House. introduced a bill providing for a reduction of the tariff to 100 per cent wherever it is now more than lO0 per cent. It would look the ike the re- publican party might have taken thls step toward tariff revision had 1t been deeply in earnest; but no, the bill was not even reported from the committee. when ever attention was called to an indefensi- ble schedule the answer was that they could not afford to open the subject for debate just before a campaign; but there is no force in this objection, because the House rules are so framed that the ma jority can cut off debate prevent amend ment and silence opposition
 "The administration has claimed credit for the fine against the Standard Oil company in the case which was lately re- versed, but no effort has been made to relieve the people from the fine which IS imposed upon them every day by the Standard Oil company through the op- eration of the tariff law which gives that company more than 100 per cent protee- ton against it's chief rival, Russia. What faith can a real tariff reformer, whether he be a republican or democrat, repose in the republican leaders when they de- Hberately put off all reduction until after election, and then call for contributions with the understanding that the public shall not know the names of the contribu- tors until after the polls are closed?
 ''The republican platform says that the tariff is intended for the American man ufacturers, farmers and producers, and especially for the wage earnerS- If the farmer and the wage earner are really the chief beneficiaries of the protective system will the republican candidate eX- plain why the farmer and the wage earn CT have contributed so little to the repub- lican campaign fund? Is he willing to publish al ist of contributions on the 18th day of next October and allow the rela- tive advantage of protection to the manu- facturer, the farmer and the wage earner to be measured by the contributions re- ceived from each class? Why is it that the manufacturers are expected to fur nish so large a proportion of the money to run the campaign if, as the republicans claim, the farmers and the laborers en- joy so large a proportion in the benefits of the system? Is it not significant fact that the farmers and wage earners who are always put in the foreground when the blessings of a high tariff are being enumerated are in the background when the collections are being made? Is 1t not significant that the manufacturers who furnish the funds, are so little ad- vertised as beneficiaries? Is 1t not sig nificant also that the wage earners, in- 1 stead of the manufacturers, are always described as the most direct benefcia- | ries of the protective system?
 Difference In Parties.
 | Tn ordinary affairs there is no diff | ference between a tariff reformer and a protectionist. They meet tigether in bus mess, in society, in the lodgeroom and in 1 the church. In their daily life they ap- plv the same rules and are guided by the same business rules This similarity man.
 fests intself all through life and up to the very hour of death. If a protec- tionist makes a will he makes 1t upon the same plan that the tariff reformer l follows As death approaches he esti-