The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1908-09-24

result is soon felt in an over supply
for the home market, and the manu-
facturer seeks to sell his surplus
abroad. Here he finds he must face
retaliatory duties and an unfriendly
market, for exchange is the law oil
international commerce, and no peo-
pie will long buy from those to whom
they cannot sell. So with limited
market unregulated by foreign COM
petition, the manufacturer meets the
problem by combination that limits
production and fixes prices at a
point just below the cost of the
foreign article with the tariff added.
Thus the protective tariff naturally
and inevitably brings forth the trust,
and the folly of party pretending to
oppose the trusts and yet advocating
a high protective tariff must be ap-
parent to every thinking man.
REPUBLICAN PARTy's ADMISSION.
This year the Republican party,
recognizing the growing sentiment
over the country demanding a reduc-
ton in tariff schedules, incorporated
in its platform a plank intended to
deceive the people into believing that
It proposes a reduction of tariff duties.
Republican promises of tax reduction
are not new, but Republican per-
Torrance along that line would be a
novelty to American history.
In 1868 the Republican platform
demanded reduction of taxes, and
at various times since then, when
pressed by public sentiment, they
have made platform pledges of that
character, But whenever Republi-
can Congress touches tariff bill they
always raise the tax. This year,
fortunately for the people, that they
may understand fully what is meant
by this Republican promise of revis.
ion, the platform lays down the rule
by which the tariff is to be revised.
First, it must be high enough to cover
the difference between labor cost at
home and abroad. This is the old
Republican campaign cry, and this the
limit heretofore demanded in tariff
taxation, Butenow they have added
that the tariff must, in addition to
covering the difference in labor cost,
be high enough to guarantee a profit
to the American manufacturer. To
prove that these words are not mere
surplusage, and that they have A
meaning, it is only necessary to con-
slider the conduct of the Republican
party inNconvention at Chicago. Be-
fore the platform committee a reso-
luton was offered demanding tariff
merely equal to the difference be-
tween the cost of production at home
and abroad, and it was defeated by
a vote OF So to I. 1t was again Of
fered as minority resolution in the
confention, and defeated by a vote of
o52 to So. So here is a distinct and
positive change in Republican poll
cics, and an absolute demand that the
revision of the tariff shall include
promise of profit to the manufacturer
never before included in a party plat
form. In the light of this pronounce
ment of the party, we can better I'M
derstand Mr.. Taft's suggestion, that
1t must be remembered that revision
means raising where taxes are too
low, as well as a lowering where the
taxes are too high, and we may we'll
believe that should the Republican
party be. successful in this campaign,
this platform will be construed to
mean that present schedules are too
low, and the readjustment of them
will be upward instead of down.
ward