Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1908-09-03

should be made secure. Ii the employ
ees heritage citizenship is to he sold
he ought at least to be sure of his mess
of pottage. -
-4s------ Z ----.-- ~
The Whole System is Vicious.
But the whole system Is vicious.
Business should NOT be built upon leg
islation. 1t shotsfd stand upon its own
merit, and when it does stand upon its
own merit we shall not only have purer
politics. but we shall have less huctua-
ton in business conditions and a more
equitable distribution of the proceeds
of toll.
/ cannot pass from this part of my
subject without calling attention to the
fact that Secretary Taft has allowed
himself to be drawn into the use of an
argument 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 mott
fication speech:
1.-THE Introduction in power of a par
ty 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 de-
preston will seem small indeed
Here is threat of a panic If the
Republican party is not retained in
power. This parnc argument was
worked overtime in 1886, but l am sur
prised that a Republican refers to it
in the present campaign.
We have had three panics since the
Republican party was born-the panic
of 1873, the panic of 1893 and the
panic of 1907. The panic of 1873 came
after the Republican party had been in
complete control of the federal gov
eminent for twelve years and eleven
years before our party succeeded in
securing control of the executive
branch of fhe government The star
Ting panic and depression" of 1873
occurred in the very midst of Repub-
lican rule. Just after Republican vic
tory. and under high tariff Is it not
strange that Secretary Taft should for
get this panic when he warns us to
beware of any departure from the pro-
tective system?
The panic of 1907 came after the Re-
publieans had been in complete control
of the federal government for more
than ten years. They had had an ops
portunity to do everything that they
wanted to do and to undo everything
that needed to be undone, and we were
rotary Taft admitted the necessity of
revision. This panic was so bad that
banks felt it necessary TO do something
that they had never done before
namely, arbitrarily limit the amount
of money that depositors could draw
Shaw says that the stringency of 1907
was '.the seyerest the world has eyer
witnessed" With this panic fresh in
his mind, is it not strange that he
should argue that his election is neces-
sary to prevent panic?
panics. both of these coming under
conditions which compel the Repuh-
lican party to accept the responsible
ity for them. Now let us consider the
panic of 1888 If that could be prop
erly charged to the Democratic party.
it would only be one Democratic panic
to two Republican panics But can it
be fairly charged to the Democrats?
1t came. it is true, a few months after
the inauguration of a Democratic pres
!dent. but it came while the Mckinley
high tariff was still in effect and be-
fore single Republican law had been
repealed, and it came from causes that
were in operation before the election
In fact, it was the failure of the Re-
publican party to do its duty and salts
fy the people that brought about a
Democratic victory, and these causes
would have brought on panic even
if the Republican party had remained
yet in spite of this record the Repub-
liean candidate presumes to threaten
panic in case Of Democratic success.
Protection Does Not Raise Wages.
The third proposition which the pro-
tectionist must establish namely. that
the tariff asked for is necessary il
still less considered. It is true that We
pay higher wages per day than are
paid elsewhere, but that does not nee
fsSsari1S taassan that fra arfuaf falss1r
cost Of an article is higher here than
abroad On the contrary, the rule Is