The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-09-26


statements of the differences paid
American and foreign workmen in
every protected" industry and TO re.
duce the tariff tax IN each instance
to exactly that difference The Dem.
ocrats will agree to such a revision.
the tax to be Increased or lowered
from time to time to meet changes
in wages Now, friends OF labor, let
us hear from you?
Taft's "Reasonable Profit" FaIIacy.
But, ah! says Fr Taft. a reason
able profit besides. must be provided
by the tariff. At last the cat is out
Of the bag The pretense has always
been thGs our higher wages prevented
competition with foreign goods, an
that, with the difference in Wages
made up by law. the people would
get the benefit of such omlet.tion
Foreign goods would still have the
disadvantage Of long transportation
and, If they could carry that load and
still be brought over and sold at
profit flor II there were no pront thny
would not Gomez. surely thale mus!
be still greater profit on American
goods. why then tax the people still
further 60 swell this proGtr Simply
because every concern which gets tho
| benefit of the tariff has capitalized
the special favor thus granted Il by
Law and will never consent to re.
duction OF dividends. The party must
stand by them or they win not stand
I by the party.
Foreigner Didn't Pay il.
/ A few months ago we read Of an
] American paying 100000 for a neck.
/ lace for his wife. Used though we
are to lavish displays oC wealth, this
, was startling. Our wives. bless their
hearts. smiled none The less swec;ly
on us, though modesty adorned. or
not at all save by their native grace,
but all who have by honest effort
achieved a measure Of success must
have felt, as did, that something had
thrown tie scales Of fortune out OF
! balance. We soon found out what II
was. There was wrangle about the
duties to be paid This was poetic
justice, because IT brought out the
fact that this mans wealth was
arassed in few years by eXactions,
through the tariff, from the ontiro
American people. They paid for tha.
necklace. This is how they were
compelled to do II.
We produce no tin In America, and
until the last preceding Republican
tarin law got all our tin plate from
! Wales. There was no complaint about
the price. While that law was being
framed this man and his associates,
| then men cf small means, seeing
chance to levy toll on every household
! in the country, asked the committee
to put duty of two cents pound on
tin plate. They represented that this
would enable them to establish
a new Industry here, and then
fCll at less price than the
importers. OF course. the re.
quest was granted That was what
Tho committee was for. And they left
Le mad cheap, The duty was put only
on the steel in the plates, which could
be made here. The industry was start
ed all right, but, with the We sh plates
ruled out and the market thus con.
trOlled, a much higher price has ever
since been eXacted The present law
maintains the duty reduced only half
cent per pound, notwithstanding
protests from all over the country.
The parties to the scheme quickly
gained immense wealth. The Steel
trust adopted this infant And the
buyer of the necklace recently died
worth thirty million dollars.
| have picked one instance out of
many They all belong to the same
litter. the offspring Of the vicious
system Of lending the taxing power to
be used merely for private advantage
The government, in this case, as in
many others, gets but little revenue,
because the tax is so high that only
small part of the plate we use is
imported. When such things are
done, though 1t he under the forms
OF popular government, will any one
"swoilen Fortunes"
Yet we hear men scolding about
swollen fortunes and predatory
wealth" who for years have controlled
the government, but have made no
effort to reach the breeding ground
of these evils Mr., Taft proposes
now to go look 1t over, II elected, but
it must not be disturbed In fact,
contend that the people rule?
some OF the nests should have more
lining.
The use of the taxing power to
build up private fortunes, with the
trust monopolics which result from 1t,
is the most widely harmful of the
wrongs which must be corrected 1t
takes from every one part of his
means of support, bearing hardest on
those who are least able TO respond
II subjects to suspicion, or worse than
suspicion, the trainers of our laws. II
taints the purity OF the ballot. II
spreads discomfort throughout the
land. We can endure the inequalities
. of fortune unless they are aggravated
by law.
Difference in Platforms.
. Time does not permit me to speak
, In detail OF the platforms unanimous
r ly reported and adopted by our con