The Washington times., 1908-11-18
Charles Francis Adams
Writes Mccall, Roasting
All ProtectioniStS.
SAYS Il AM A THIEF;
STEAL BY LICENSE"
Asserts None Come 10 Hearings
Here But Men With Money.
Who All Want More.
By ]. c. wELLIVER.

Charles Francis Adams, the Boston
/ IpubIicist and former president Of the
Union Pacific railroad, has sent 10
/ Representative Samuel ". Mccall, OF
the Committee on Ways and Means,
the hottest communication with which
that body has been favored so far.
Taking as his text the suggestion
| Of William II. Taft that persons who
desire a revision Of the tarih IN the
direction OF reduced schedules should
make themselves heard in Washing
( ton, Mr. Adams writes for this class
! a sweeping indictment of the men who
appear before the committee asking
for increase Of duties or the main
tenance OF those existing. They di-
vide into two classes, he says, aud
are either thieves OF hogs.
81 myself belong 70 the former
class" he said "a am a tariff thief,
and / have a license to steal"
Referring 10 the claim that those
asking that the tariff schedules should
remain as they are or should be
changed only I'm the way OF an in
crease are much in evidence at the
hearings now in progress and that
the tariff ref0rmer, so-called, does not
appear or is silent, Mr.. Adams says:
You, my dear Mr.. Mccall, knew per-
fectly well the reason OF this.
Are interested,
Those first referred to are directly and
peculiarly interested; and, as such, nat
uraIIy divided into two classes Speak
ing after the fashion OF men. they are
either thieves or hogs 1 myself belong
90 the former class. L am a taTin thief.
and / have a license 10 steal. II bears
the broad seal Of the United states, and
is what is known as the "Dingley
tariff" / stole under 81 yesterday, /
am stealing under it today; I propose
10 steal under it tomorrow. The wise
call it a beneficiary" The Government
has forced me into this position, and 1
both do and shall take fun advantage
Of it. / am, therefore, a tariff thief.
with d license TO sUedl! And, what are
you going 10 do about it,
The other class comes under the hog
category; that IS, they rush, squealing
ana struggling to- the great Washington
Protection Trough. and, with all four
feet III II, they proceed TO gObDle tine
sWiU- Well acquainted with those Of
this class, you know their attitude and
their utterauces- Il is useless for me 10
dilate upon either. To this class I do
lot belong. ] am simply a tariff thief.
but as / have said with a license 10
steal
Also Reformer
But. on the other hand, I am also
a tariff reformer. I would like TO see
every protective schedule swept out of
existence; my own included Meanwhile,
what inducement have 1 10 go To Wash
hgton on a public mission Of this sort?
4 mere citizen. represent no one.
If ! went, I would receive from the
committee scarcely a respectful hear
ing, If any hearing al all, and 7 would
have TO go al q considerable expense
both of my money and OF my time. The
last of which ] can least afford.
My position in these respects Is eX-
acJly the position of myTIads of others
And then they say, we do not exist
Meanwhile. 1 do know this. On every
occasion when Of late j have had occa-
sion 10 address an audience. any refer
ence 20 Protection run mad. or 10 the
tariff as the mother Of trusts has in
vaTIabiy ELECTED more spontaneous re-
sponse than any otSer utterauce I could
make This feeling is abroad. beCOm-
ing stronger and viii certainly, soon
or late, be In evidence al the polls.
Many Feel Same.
Meanwhile. the tens Of thousands Of
persons who feel in that way. like my
self. cannot afford either the time. or.
more frequently, the money to go TO
We shington 20 ask 20 be heard before a
committee which they know IN advance
is both prejudiced and packed against
them.
II have in this letter set forth the
situation, so far as a revision of the
tariff is concerned. as IL exists within
your personal knowledge and my per
sOnai knowledge. You are welcome TO
make such use of II before the commit
tee, or elsewhere, as YOU see fit I
should have no objection even 90 seeing
il in print
Meanwhile. have IL well understood
that my position is exactly the position
Of tens OF thousands OF others scattered
throughout the country. To ask as 10
put aside our business affairs and al
our own expense, go to Washington on
a desperate mission, is asking a little
too much, whether the demand comes
from the committee or from a Presi-
dent-eleCt.
CHARLES f. ADAMS"