Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-22

1
| trusts. The democrats demand its en-
| forcement; If it's enforcement rids the
country of trusts, then this policy which
Mr. Taft SO much fears will become per-
| fectly harmless. If the democrats secure
control of both the House and the Sem
ate they are pledged to legislation which
will make private monopoly impossible.
! If the republicans retain control of part
of the legislative machinery of the gov
eminent and refuse to join in the effort
to make a private monopoly impossible.
| they are not in position to complain of
| tariff legislation aimed at trusts. If they
refuse to assist us In extermnating the
| principle of private monopoly. they can
not well object to legislation necessary
to protect the people from trust extor-
| ton.
All! This Scares Him.
| "Mr. Taft. however, finds the greatest
alarm in the following clause in our plat
form:
" Gradual reduction should be made in
such other schedules as may be necessary
to restore the tariff to a revenue basis >
He regards this threatened departure
from the protective system as fatal We
| are here brought face to face with the
theoretical difference between the posi-
| ti)ns OF the two parties on the subject Of
tariff. The democratic party regards q
| tariff law as revenue law. the protec-
can party regards a tariff law as framed
| primarily for protection the revenue be-
| ing incidental AS the effect of a given
| rate on a particular article is the same,
whether levied for the purpose of reve-
nue. or for the purpose of protection, it
may be we'll to define the difference be-
tween revenue tariff and protective
| tariff. A revenue tariff Is so framed as
to collect revenue, and you stop when
you get enough; a protective tariff may
n hut "
enue. and yet lay a heavy burden upon
the people-and you never know when to
| stop. To illustrate: A tariff may be
made SO high as to absolutely prohibit
importation. If. in such ease the man
ufacturers yield to the temptation men,
| toned by Mr.. Taft and combine to take
advantage of the duty, the consumers will
be heavily taxed. and vet none of the
money will reach the Treasury.
LAS a matter of public policy Is il wise
| that the industries that do pay should
be compelled to carry upon their backs
industries which. according to the argu
ments made by their representatives.
could not live without aid? Have We not
seen this system introducing corruption
into politics. and is 1t not building bust
ness upon an unsubstan basis? Having
secured tariff from one party the bene-
ficiaries loudly declare that the country
will be ruined if any other party obtains
control OF the government Manufacture
ers have intimidated their employees and
threatened them with a reduction in
wages unless party favorable to the
system was continued in power This
is an old device and there are indications
that it is being resored to again. The
New York Leather Betting Company has
sent out a number Of letters to companies
with which 1t has business dealings ask
ing them to post in their factories a
notice saying:
Peerless Calls It Bribery"
Believing that the election Of Taft
and Sherman means a safe and conserva-
tive administration, the day following the
election we shall start this plant on full
time and keep going.
Here is a direct attempt to influence
the election by bribe. 1t is virtually
promise of wages if the republican ticket
is successful and an implied threat in
case of democratic success: but the offer
is so made that it gives the empioye no
guarantee Of it's fulfllment. The same
kind of promises were made in 1896. and
yet for six months after the election
times were worse than they were before.
There were business failures and bank
ruptcies. and many institutions that
promised their employees steady work and
good wages shut down or reduced wages.
If any, factory >posts up the sign which
the Leather Betting Company Is sending
out the employees ought to get together
and ask for guarantee as to the amount
Of the wages they are to receive and as
to the length of time during which the
guarantee is to extend If the votes
are to be bought the purchase price at
least should be made secure. If the en-
ploye's MISUNDERSTANDING to be sold
he ought at least to be sure of his mess
Of pottage
II cannot pass from this part of nay
subject without calling attention to the
fact that Secretary Taft has allowed him
self to be drawn into the use of an argu-
ment which the beneficiaries of protection
have been employing for generation
Speaking of the gradual substitution of a
revenue tariff for the protective system,
he says in his notification speech:
The introduction in power of a party
with this avowed purpose cannot but halt
the gradual recovery from our recent
financial depression and produce business
disaster compared with which our recent
panic and depression will seem small in
deed.
Here is a threat of a panic if the re-
publican party is not retained In power
This panic argument was working over
time in 1896 but l am surprised that a
republican refers to 1t in the present cam
paign.
Three Republican Panics.
1--WE have had three panics since the
republican party was born-the panic of
1873 the panic of 1888 and the panic Of
1907 The panic of 1873 came after the
republican party had been in complete
control of the federal government for
twelve years and eleven years before our
party succeeded in securing control of the
executive branch of the government. The
startling panic and depression of 1873
occurred in the very midst of republican
rule, just after a republican victory and
under high tariff. Is it not strange that
Secretary Taft should forget this panic
when he warns us to beware Of any de-
parture from the protective system?
THE panic of 1907 came after the repub-
licans had been in complete control of the
federal government for more than ten
years. They had had an opportunity to
do everything that they wanted to do and
TO undo everything that needed to be I'M
done, and we were under such a high
tariff that even Secretary Taft admitted
the necessity of revision. This panic was
SO bad that banks felt it necessary to do
something that they had never done be-
fOre-namely, arbitrarily limit the amount
of money that depositors could draw on
their own accounts. EX-Secretary Shaw
says that the stringency of 1907 was the
severest the world has ever Witnessed
strange that he should argue that his
election is necessary to prevent a panic?
Declares for Income Tax.
1.-The democratic party has declared for
an income tax as a part of the revenue
system and for a constitutional amend
ment as a means of securing this tax. Sec
rotary Taft announces in his notification
speech that he is in favor of an income
tax whenever the revenues are SO low
+ tic ha