Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1908-08-18
Neal Brown Calls Republican
Assertion Master Lie,

Assertion Master Lie.''
"a republican tariff has always been
followed Ls business prosperity, dem
ocratic tariff by business adversely
This jewel of mendacity," said Neal
Brown, sis culled from the republican
platform of 1904.
Ten years of strictly republican
tariff exploded last October in one of
the greatest panics in our history. Hun
dreds OF banks, trust companies q 4
other institutions went down like row
OF bricks. Bankers and business men
walked the floor and tore their hair
over impending ruin.
TN the widespread shipwreck and
disaster they forgot all about the rock
of republican tariff which always as
the republican platform says, brings
business prosperity This tariff was
as dead and RESPONSIVE as the broken
banks and closed factories. The fail
ures for the six months following Octo-
Der were greater than ever before in an
equal period of time.
Even now, after almost year OF
panic and depression, nearly 300, O00idle
freight cars and millions of idle men
bear testimony of the deadly blight of
republican high tariff. The iron and
steel industry reports about Sc per cent
of its ordinary volume of business The
great lumber industry is at even lower
level. The republican leaders, the
Home Market club and other tariff
beneficiaries have been trying to ex-
plain how and why the republican tar
if has failed to work.
"They have had control of all branches
of our government since 1895. They are
not able to attribute the panic to the
wicked democrats 1t has been ten
years since the democratic Wilson tariff
law was repealed Nor can they charge
that the panic was brought on by the
fear of democratic victory or of the
passage OF democratic tarif law.
fFinally, in desperation, they Matched
up the brilliant thought that the tinan-
ciers of the country, in order to discredit
Roosevelt, brought on the panic.
But the people have treated this bit
of humor as only equaled by the joke l
have quoted from the republican plat
form. 1t has been pretty hard to con-
vince the most ignorant that men of
wealth would wreck their own banks
and financial institutions, put their rail-
roads into the hands of receivers, and
close their mines and factories in order
to discredit republican administra-
ton, especially as nine tenths of these
men are republicans and have raised
millions of dollars in bygone years for
its, campaign funds.
"The man who held his dog down in
INC SuOW III OIuCA W iIcCAo IL W oOotH
must have suggested this republican
explanation of the cause of the panic.
And now we are told that the way to
restore is TO keep the republican party
in power. Or in other words, take a
hair of the dog that bit us as remedy
1--WE have a republican administra-
ton now Why don't it restore pros.
perity? If it cannot do it now, how can
it do it next year? Why did it lose
Prosperity by the wayside? How could
it be possible to lose prosperity with a
republican tariff in force? All these
questions are likely to be asked by the
people in the coming campaign.
1.-The fact is that the republican tariff
policies of creating artificial business
onditions has been largely responsible
for the three great panics of 1878, 1898
and 1907. A high tariff always means
panic and depression sooner or later
In 1878 the republican party was in con-
troll of the government. 1t had a re-
republican high tariff in force with no
prospect of any change. And yet in that
year great panic swept the country
and Frustrated every industry for nearly
Ave years.
THE Master Lie of political platforms
is certainly this one from the republi-
can platform of 1904: A republican tar
if is always followed by business pros
perity.' In Roosevelts Ananias class,
while other liars may be entitled to
Honorable Mention, the blue ribbon
certainly ought to go to the trainers of
the platform.