The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1908-12-02
REPUBLICAN RESPONSIBILITY.

There has been growing belief,
fostered by many. and not without
some foundation in fact. that party
platforms are mere formalities high
sounding, meaningless phrases. use
full only for campaign purposes, and
rapidly going out of date even for
this purpose.
If the republican party wishes to
retain power. it must retain the con-
fidence of the people. This conf
dence can only be retained by keep
ing the platform pledges in spirit
and in truth.
The promise of postal savings
banks must be fulfilled.
The promise of serious effort to
regulate and control corporations and
common carriers must be effectively
carried out.
The promise of tariff revision must
be sacredly kept.
The way in which every industry
is flying to armes. however. is the best
possible argument for protection.
The button makers of Muscatine
are willing to have the tariff reduced
on many things. but the tariff on
pearl buttons should be maintained.
The shoe manufacturers are demand
ing free hides, but not free shoes.
All in all, at the present writing,
&Lo ho LOT
enough aloners, seem to have all the
best of the arguments.
Still. here are tariff schedules
which can we'll be reduced and all of
them should be reduced to the limit
Of protection.
What is that limit?
The protective theory is to add
sufficient duty to place the American
manufacturer at least on a par with
the European manufacturer.
If the cost of an article in Ger
many is $40. 90 and in America SIP 90.
the protective theory would demand
a duty of not less than $500. This
sounds easy, but is it?
How are you to get at the facts
1t is obvious that the eXprate state
ments of the button manufacturers
is not the best evidence. They will
place the cost of American production
just as high as possible.
1t is equally obvious that the
European manufacturers are willy
enough not to underestimate the cost
of production on their side of the
water.
What is a poor Congressman to dc
about it?
On the one side is popular demand
for general tariff reductions on every
thing which his district does not pro.
duce. On the other hand is the manu-.
facturer with ever ready figures tt
show that his particular industry
suffers from under protection already
and that his schedule should be raised
not lowered.
What is poor Congressman to do
There is general demand for tar
iff revision. A general demand.
mind you, but very little in the shape
of specific demand. There are nc
committees Of consumers. ready witt
their figures to show that pearl but
tons could we'll stand cut. The
figures presented are all on the Other
side.
What is poor Congressman to do
The only congressman who know
about pearl buttons are Dawson ane
his Illinois neighbors just across the
Mississippi. They know that thu
tariff on pearl buttons ought to be
maintained. They can tell you dowr
to the last clam just how much il
costs to produce dozen buttons an
just what dire disaster would follow
the lowering of the duty by single
cent.
Every congressman is standing
guard over pet industry. straining
every nerve, for we'll he knows that
his own political life depends upor
the retention of that tariff schedule.
Even the democrats. who shout for
free trade, all the rest of the time
come forward with their claims and
the sugar and tobacco growers unite
with the cotton spinners to demand
protection.
1t would be ridiculous if it were
not SO serious, if it did not mean
such period of business unrest anc
apprehension.
All these things bring home the
fact that CONGRESS is NOT
COMPETENT BODY TO DEAL
WITH TARIFF SCHEDULES.
Instead of being court of inquiry
an impartial court of investigation
and deliberation, it is body of spec
ial pleaders of advocates. not judges
and it is just as unfit to frame tar
if law as the attorney for the plain