The Detroit times., 1908-09-23
monious cooperation.
Az TO the TarIfY. -.

- ~ WV
The next question 10 which !
: call your attention is the tariff
question.
And now the time has come
when even Republicans admit that
something must be done.
venture the assertion that
not In a hundred years will you
ever md In a platform a sentence
like thatw hich begins the Repub-
lican tarin plank. II says some
thing like this: The Republican
party declares unequivocally In
favor OF the revision OF the tariff
TO be made at a special session
OF congress to be called immed-
lately after Inauguration.
Ii there anything In that SEN
tence that strikes you as peculiar?
Well, there are two things In II
that strike me as amusing and
those two things are two words,
the first word Is 'unequivocally.
What did they put that word in
, there for? Had they promised
= eQuivocally before and now prom
ise unequivocallyf Is 1t not a
confession OF guiltf
II you want to know how de-
moraiixing to q mans credit the
word .uneQuivocally' is I will tell
you how to nnd out. Go to a
bank, agree with the cashier on
a loan. and when you have agreed
On the amount, the rate OF inter
est and the surety, he will hand
you out q note to sign and II VIII
read: For value received prom
ise to pay, and SO forth. Now
take your pen and write IN before
Il promise, the word .unequiyocal.
ly' and see what the result will
be. The cashier will make you
get another indorser.
II q promise Is good 1t does not
need the word uneQuivocally and
II q mans promise n bad It will
be made worse BY using It. And
that other word immediately.
You know what that means
theref Why. they hsye been IN
power for ten years. What are
they In such q hurry for nowr
What does II mean? Why. IT -
a recognition of the fact that the
patience Of The people ID strained
to the point OF breaking and these
Republican leaders say. On. II you
Just lot IN In once more We VIII 40
Immediately what We ought 10
heve done years ago.
When you are trying TO con'
strue language you know you must
always get every construction you
can think of and then compare
them and see which one flts best.
and I recognise there Is another
view to explain these sentsnces.
II IL barely possible they put IN
the words 'unequivocally and
Immediately to get you to laugh
50 heartily that you would not
notice that the word reduction
does not appear at all. Possibly
the words were used Just to dis
tract attention. They do not say
to reduce the tariff They say
to revise the tariff. Now. revision
NAV mean up or 1t may mean
down. and Mr.. Taft says 1t means
both In this case.
Mr.. Taft says In his notification
speech that some Of the schedules
are too high and others too low.
and then he wisely remarks ana
commits himself to the proposation
that the schedules that are TOO
high ought to be lowered and tnat
the schedules that are too low
ought to be raised. That 10 the
most DEFINITE statement that we
have been able to get rom MIN
on the tariff question.
My friends, even II they were
trying to carry out that platform
honestly and to meet the expecta-
lions that might be raised BY
casual reading of 1t, they Will be
restrained by the very rule by
which they are to guide their
reformation of the tariff for they
say you must leave enough tarin
to cover the difference betwoen
the cost of production here and
abroad plus reasonable pront TO
those who get the beneht OF the
tariff
Democrats for Lower Tariff.
Now that is q little larger rule
than the old one. And II the old
congress was filed with men as
honest as the new we may expect
that the tariff will be raised In
stead OF lowered. The Democrat
ic policy Is plain; we say tarin re-
duction and we tell you where to
commence and how to proceed.
We want to put the tarif where
goods come into competition with
trust-made goods, then the tariff
Is to be taken OF. What Is the
meaning OF that? Why, 1t means
that when those who have enjoy
ed tho tariff wall. hide behind 1t.
and contrive to exploit the people
who gave them the wall. 1t Is time
to take the wall down and protect
thu people.
Our second proposition Is a ma
tehal reduction Of the tariff on the
necessities Of life. especially on
things that are sold abroad cheap
or than at home. No one, my
friends. can complain Of that.
And the third step Is such 9TH
er gradual reduction as may be
necessary to restore the tariR to
a revenue basis. call your at
tention to the word gradual
There 10 no thought Of a sudden
transition from one system to an
other. There is no thought OF an
immediate change.
Mr.. Taft has even fallen into,
the language Of these men and
threatens the country that II the
Democratic party is successful
panic will follow. Well, Mr.. Taft
seems to forget that conditions
are not the same now that they
were IL years ago. He must have
run across one Of the old speeches
and did not notice the date OF the
speech.
PanIes Under High TarIn.
When they talk panic TO you !
-.>-x A. -~cal~A x,1,, that mo oxSo