The Detroit times., 1908-09-23

call your attention Is the tariff
question.
And now the time has come
when even Republicans admit that
something must be done.
II venture the assertion that
not In hundred years will you
ever find in a platform a sentence
like thatw hich begins the Repub-
lican tariff plank IL 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
tence that strikes you as III
Us there anything in that SEN
tence that strikes you as peculiar?
Well, there are two things in IL
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
Use uneQuivocally? Is II not
confession OF guilt?
II you want to know how de-
moralizing to a mans credit the
word 'uneQuivocally' Is | will tell
you how to find 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 note to sign and II will
read: For value received ! prom
tse the word 'unequivocatiy' and r
see what the result will be. The
cashier will make you get another
indorser.
IF a promise is good II does not
need the word unequivocally and
II q mans promise Is bad 1t VIII
be made worse by using 1t. And
that other word Immediately
You know what that means
there? Why. they have been In
power for ten years. What are
they In such hurry for now?
What does It mean? Why, 1t is
q recognition OF the fact that the
patience Of the people Is strained
to the point OF breaking and these
Republican leaders say. oh, II you
lust let US In once more we will do
Immediately what We ought to
have done years ago.
when you are trying to con-
struo language you know you must
always get every construction you
can think of and then compare
them and see which one fits best.
and I recognize there Is another
view to explain these sentences.
II is barely possible they put In
the words 'uneQuivocally' and
Immediately to get you TO laugh
80 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
may mean up or II 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 and
commits himself to the proposition
that the schedules that are too
high ought to be lowered and that
the schedules that are too low
ought to be raised. That Is the
most definite statement that we
have been able TO get from him
on the tariff question.
my friends, even II they we're
trying to carry out that platform
honestly and to meet the expecta-
tons that might be raised by-a-
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 tarih
to cover the difference between
the cost Of production here and
abroad plus a reasonable profit Il
those who get the beneht or the
tariff"
Democrats for Lower Tariff.
Now that is a 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 tarif re-
duction and we tell you where to
commence and how to proceed.
We want to put the tariff where
goods come into competition with
trust made goods. then the tarin
Is to be taken off. What is the
meaning Of that? Why, 1t means
that when those who have enjoy
ed the tariff wall. hide behind 1t,
and contrive TO exploit the people
who gave them the wall, It Ia time
to take the wall down and protect
the people.
Our second proposition Is a ma
terial reduction OF the tariff on the
necessities of life. especially on
things that are sold abroad cheap
er than at home. No ono, my
friends, can complain Of that.
"And the third step Is such 9TH
or gradual reduction as may be
necessary to restore the tarif to
a revenue basis. I call your at
tention to the word gradual
There is no thought of an imme-
diate change.
"Mr. Taft has even fallen into
the language Of thes 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.
Panics Under High Tariff.
When they talk panic to you /
want to remind you that we have
had three panics since 1860, and
every one of them came under a
Il