Weekly independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 1887-1914, 1908-08-14
TAFT ON TARIFF and TRUSTS

Mr.. IaftS long speech oi acceptance
was distinctly disappointing with ref
erence to the tariff. which is the inn
portant issue of tho campaign.
After stating the time worn protective
doctrine. that Il tariff should he i'm
posed great enough to equal the differ
ence between production abroad and ut
home. and to give II reasonable profit
to the American producer. Mr.. Taft
says that the Dingley law in Il number
of schedules exceeds that difference.
The excess, he adds, serves no useful
purpose, but offers atcmptation to those
who would monopolize the production
and sale of such article in this country,
to profit by the excessive rate"
So far, Mr.. Taft speaks fairly. But
he spoils the effect of what has gone
before by adding that there are other
schedules in which the tariff is not
sufficiently high TO give the measure of
protection which they should receive
upon republican principles. and rs to
those the tariff should he raised"
This n dangerous doctrine. Not ever
the greedy eastern trusts that have pro-
fitted most from robbcr schedules of the
Dingley bill have ventured to declare
that the tariff is too low and shOuld IL
Increased.
h will came as a shock to the
people whose idea of the tariff is that it
is Il device to enable trusts To rob them,
and who have seen trust magnateS
accumulate S fortunes III the cX-
pcnSc Of the general public.
Will Mr.. Taft's statement not lead to
public belief that when the republican
convention declared for tariff revision.
moi saying whether it should he revision
down or revision up. the ambiguity WIS
intentional: Will it not add to public
apprehension that if republican grand
dukes. i'll control of congress. are allow
ed to remain i'll power they will increase
instead of lessen the opportunities for
trust robbery?
The suspicion Mr.. Taft has created
will not I've diminished 10y that para.
A'l' w ~ Hl'''l III "iHil he us
cusscs the democratic policy with rc.
CARDS To trusts. Unlawful trusts should
he restrained witt! ali the efficiency of
iniunctivc process. he says, and the
persons engaged i'll maintaining them
should he punished with all the
severity of criminal prosecution" which
is probably Il lawyers way of saying
that they should hc sent To Jail instead
of getting off with fines.
But the democratic plan to remove
tariff duties from all articles coming
into competition with those made by
trusts and To put them on the free list
is bad, for. while it might stop trust
robbery. it would destroy ''all their
smaller competitors" Therefore the
country must submit to hc robbed by
trusts FOR the sake of their smaller
competitors"
. How many small competitions are
there for Standard Oil, the sugar trust,
or the glass trust, or any other Of the
trusts that monOpolizc production in
nearly all the Industries of the nation
How many will there bc five years
hence, if the tariff remains or is in
crcascdg
Mr.. Taft has heretofore on several
occasions expressed himself in a differ,
cnt way III the subject Of tariff revision.
He has led the country to believe that
he realizes the peril that lies in the
, ovcrgrowing domination of trusts, that
F without unjust tariff advantages trusts
/. could not exist, and that the first duty
of true craftsmanship is To take those
advantages away.
II is dishcartcning to find him since
he has become Il candidate for prcSi-
dent, reversing himself. talking about
smaller competitors" which have no
existence. and cvcn proposing that the
Dinglcy tariff shall bc raised in some Of
its schcdulcs.-Chicugo journal. Ind.
Republican.