The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1908-07-31

the establishment OF a rate Of wages
here that has greatly enhanced the.
standard Of living Of the laboring man.
# is the policy Of the republican party
permanently to continue that standard
OF living. In 1897 the Dingley tariff
bill was passed under which we have
bad 9 period Of enormous prosperity.
Necssslty for Revision Of Tariff.
The consequent material develop
ment has greatly changed the condi-
tons under which any articles de-
scribed by the schedules of the tariff
are now produced. The tariff In a
number OF schedules exceeds the diff
ference between the cost Of production
Of such articles abroad and at home.
including q reasonable profit to the
American producer. The excess over
that difference serves no useful pur-
pose, but offers a temptation to those
who would monopollze the production
and the sale Of such articles il this
country, to profit by the excess rate.
On the other hand. there are other
schedules in which the tariff Is not
sufficiently high to give the measure
of protection which they should re-
ceive upon republican principles. and
as to those, the tariff should be In
creased. A revision Of the tariff UNI
dertaken upon this principle. which Is
at the base Of our present business
system being begun promptly upon the
incoming Of the new administration
and considered at the special session
with the preliminary Investigations AL
ready begun by the appropriation com
mittees OF the house and senate, will
make the disturbance Of business in
cident to such a change little as pos
sible.
Democratic Tariff Plan.
The democratic party in its platform
has not had the courage Of its prev
ious convictions on the subject Of the
tariff denounced by it in 1904 as q
system of robbery of the many, for
the benefit of the few, but it does de-
clare its intention to change the tariff
with a view to reaching a revenue
basis and thus to depart from the pro-
tective system.
The Farmer and the Republican Party.
As the republican platform says,
the welfare of the farmer is vital ito
that of the whole country. One Of the
strongest hopes OF returning pros
perity is based on the business which
his crops are to afford. He is vitality in
terested in the restraining of exces-
sive and unduly discriminating rail
road rates, in the enforcement of the
pure food law, in the promotion OF
scientific agriculture and increasing
the comforts Of country life by the ex.
pansion of the free rural delivery.
Labor and What Republican Party
Has Done for II.
We come now to h question OF
labor. One important phase Of the
qualities of the present administra,
tion has been an anxiety to secure
for the wage Garner an equality Of op.
%portunity and such positive statutory
protection as will place him on alevel
In dealing with his employer. The re
publican party has passed an employ;
ers' liability law for Interstate rail
roads and has established an eight
hour law for government employees and
on government construction. The es
sence of the reform effected by the
former is the abolition of the fellow
servant rule and the introduction Of
the comparative negligence theory by
which an employee injured in the ser
vice Of his employer does not lose al
his right to recover because of Sigh
negligence on his part. Then there il
the act providing for compensation
for injury to government employees, to
gether with the various statutes re
qniring safety appliances upon inter
state commerce railroads for the pro
lection Of their employees and tighten
ing the hours of their employment
These are all the instances of the ef
forts Of the republican party to d.
justice to the wage earners. Doubt
less a more conservative measure TO
compensation of government employees
will be adopted in the future; the prin
ciple in such has been recognized AMI
the course Of legislation will be NOR,
fully embodied In definite statutes
The interests OF the employer ali,
the employee never differ, except whel
1t comes to a division OF the join
profits OF labor and capital into divl
bends and wages. This must be a con
slant source of periodical discussion
between the employer and employe
as indeed, are the terms Of the employ
ment.
Advantage Of Union.
To give to employees their prope
position in such a controversy to en-
able them to maintain themselve
against employers having great cap
tai, they may we'll unite. because Il
union there is strength and without !
each individual hborer and employ
, wom1d he ha1n1ezs. The nromOti0n q