The Ketchikan miner., 1908-12-05
HOT SHOT FOR STANDPATTERS.

Charles Francis Adams, the emil nent Boston publiclst and former
 president of the Union Pacific rail-
 road, recently sent to representative
 Mccall, member of the house commit tee in ways and means, the hottest communication with which the com
 mittee has been favored, during the
 present tariff hearing. MT. Adams,
 taking as his text, the suggestion oi
 President-elect Taft, that persons desiring revision of the tariff, in the ilection of reduced schedules should make themselves heard in
 Washington, writes in the interest of that class sweeping indictment of those who appear before the com
 mttee, asking for increase of duties
 for the maintenance of those now ex- itsing, whom he divides in two classes. saying they are either thieves or nogs. II myself belong to the for mer class" says Mir. Adams. 1T am tariff thief and 1 have a license to steal"
 Referring to the claim that those asking that the tariff schedules should remain as they are, or should be changed only in the way of an in- crease, are much in evidence at the hearings now in progress and that the so-caled tarlf reformer does not appear or is silent, MT. Adams says: "You, my dear Mir. Mccall, know perfectly we'll the reason of this. Those first referred to are directly and peculiarly interested and as such naturally divided into two classes. Speaking after the fashion of men, they are either thieves or hogs. I my self belong to the former class. am a tariff thief and I have license to steal It bears the broad seal Of the United States and is what is known as the 'Dingley tariff.' stole under it yesterday am stealing under it to- day. propose to steal under it to- morrow. The wise call it 'bene- 6ciary': the government has forced me into this position, and I both do and shall take full advantage of it. I am, therefore, tariff thief-with a license to steal. And what are you going to do about it?
 "The other class comes under the hog category: that is. they rush, souealing and struggling, to the great Washington, protection trough, and, with all four-.feet in it, they proceed to gobble the swill. Well acquainted with those of this class. you know their attitude and their utterances. It is useless for me to dilate upon either. To this class do not. belong. am simply tariff thief,, Rut,9 as Fl nave said, with license to steaE <.
 "But, on the other hand, am also | tariff reformer. I would like to see every protective schedule swept out of existence: my own included. Meanwhile, what inducement have l to go to Washington On public mis- sion of this sort? A mere citizen, would represent no one if went; would receive from the committee | scarcely respectful hearing, if any nearing at all, and I would have to go to considerable expense both of my, money and of my time. the last of which. can, least afford.
 My position in these respects is exactly the position of myriads of others. And then they say we do not | exist.
 "'Meanwhile, do know this. On every occasion when of late 1 have had occasion to address an audience, any reference to 'protection run mad or to the tariff as the mother of trusts has i1vafiAS3y 'sltcited a more spontaneous re esponse than any other utterancs 1 could make. This feeling