The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1908-07-31

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and viii inflict upon the innocent far
| greater punishment than upon the
| guilty.
Destructive Policy CT Democratic Plat
| form.
| The Democratic platform does not
propose to destroy the plants of the
trusts physically but it proposes. to
do the same thing in a different way.
| The business of this country Is large
| II dependent on a protective system of
| tariffs The business done by many
| Of the so called trusts is protected
with the other business of the country.
| The Democratic platform proposes to
| take off the tariff in all articles COM
| ing into competition with those pro-
| duced by the so called trusts" and
| to put them on the free list. If such
a course would be utterly destructive
| Of their business, as is intended. it
would not only destroy the trusts, but
| all Of their smaller competitors. The
| ruthless and impracticable character
| Of the proposition grows palmer as its
| effects upon the whole community are
realized.
To take the course suggested by the
| Democratic platform In these matters
| is to involve the entire community, in
nocent as it is, in the punishment of
the guilty, while our policy Is to stamp
out the specific evil. This difference
between the policies of the two great
| parties Is of especial Importance in
view Of the present condition of bust
ness. After ten years of the most re.
| markable material development and
| prosperity, there came q financial strin-
gency, panic and an industrial de-
| preston. This was brought about not
only by the enormous expansion of
business plants and business invest
| ments which could not be readily con-
| verted, but also by the waste of CAPT
tai, in extravaganza of living, in wars
| and other .catastrophies.
Republican Doctrine CT Protection.
The Republican doctrine Of protec-
| ton, as definitely announced by the
/ Republican convention Of this year
| and by previous conventions, is that
| tariff shall be imposed on all imported
| products, whether of the factory farm
| or mine, sufficiently great to equal the
| difference between the cost Of produc
| ton abroad and at home, and that this
difference should, of course, include
| the difference between the higher
wages paid in this country and the
wages paid abroad and embrace rea-
sonable profit to the American pro-
Queer. A system of protection thus
adopted and put in force has led to
the establishment Of q rate of wages
here that has greatly enhanced the
standard Of living of the laboring man.
1t 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
had. as already said, period Of enor-
nous prosperity.
Necessity For Revision of Tariff.
The consequent material develop
ment has greatly changed the condi-
lions under which many articles de-
scribed by the schedules of he tariff |
are now produced. The tariff in a
number of the schedules exceeds the. |
difference between the cost of produc- |
ton of such articles abroad and at |
home, including a reasonable profit to |
the American producer. The excess |
over that difference serves no useful |
purpose, but offers q temptation to |
those who would monopolize the pro- |
duction and the sale of such articles |
in this country. to profit by the excess
i've rate. On the other hand, there arc |
90
not Sufficiently high to give the meas
ure of protection which they should re-
ceive upon Republican principles, and |
as to those the tariff should be raised. |
a revision of the tariff undertaken |
upon this principle, which Is at the |
basis of our present business system. |
begun promptly upon the incoming CT |
the new administration, and considered |
at special session with the preimi- |
nary investigations already begun by |
the appropriate committees of the |
House and Senate. will make the dis |
turbance of business incident to such |
a change as little as possible.
Labor an! What the Republican Party |
Has Done For IT, /
We come now to the question of la |
Dor. One important phase of the pol |
icies of the present Administration has |
been an anxiety to secdre for the wage
Garner an equality of opportunity and |
such positive statutory protection as |
shall place him on a level In dealing |
with his employer. The Republican |
party has passed an employers liabil-
ity act for interstate railroads, and has |
established an eight hour law for gov
eminent employees and on government |
construction. The essence Of the re-
form effected by the former is the |
abolition of the felow-servant rule,
and the introduction of the compare
tive negligence theory by which an EN-
ployee injured in the service of his |
employer does not lose his right to re-
cover because Of slight negligence on |
his part Then there is the act pro-
vidi19 for compensation for injury to
government employees, together with
the various statutes requiring safety |
appliances upon interstate commerce
railroads for the protection of their