The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1908-04-24
SAME OLD PLATFORM PROMISES.
Stand of Illinois Republicans on Tariff
Revision.

The Illinois Republican convention,
under the guiding hand of that sly
old standpatter, Speaker Cannon,
adopted a tariff plank in their plat
form beginning with stump speech
that euogizes the present high tarin
as the cause of prosperity. 1t does
not explain, however, why this tarin
did not continue its bene!lcent work
SO as to prevent the panic or the pres
ent business depression. The tarlH
plank beass the earmarks OF the stand
pattcrs OF the Protective Tariff League.
tempered by the fear OF Payne and
Dalzell that tariff revision Is coming
and the only hope for continued pro
lection to the trusts IL to try to so
moderate the demands that the voters
can again be fooled into support OF
the Republican standpattcrs and their
allies the tariff protected trusts.
1t is very interesting to see the
standpatters now so anxious-on pa
per-for tariff revision, Uncle J0cs
platform tells us the secret that: The
benefits conferred by the present tar
IN have produced an industrial situa.
tIon that suggests the possibility OF
securing by the revision of the tarih
additional benefits for the people OF
the United States through a wise con
tinuance of the policy Of protection
OF course, there is possibility that
a Republican revision Of the tariH
might inure to the benefit of the peo.
pie. but II Is very improbable. But
this Republican platform admits that
the tariff has not given the people n
square deal for ut Is now apparent
that in order to maintain the scien.
tific accuracy OF the tariff. remove in.
equallties and prevent injustice, some
new schedules must be added to the
law, some OF the present rates must
be lowered and some must be repealed
altogether"
Whether the people Of the protected
interests would benefit by such a re-
vision will perhaps never be known,
for II would be evident folly for the
| people to intrust tariff reform to the
| Republican party which has notorious
| ~ protected the trusts at the expense
OF the people. II is evident that the
Republicans of Illinois so love protec
ton and the campaign contributions
from the trusts that they have no in
tention Of discarding the policy Of
protection, for the platform further
says. we believe that the people OF
the United States will profit by a new
tariff, but II must be q Republican
tarirI a protective tariff That shows
how hard II Is for standpatters to sur
'cndcr to the inevitable and how i'm
possible It will he for Republicans
such as Speaker Cannon and the othe1
leaders who now control congress I,
give relief from trust plundering nm
der any revision Of the tariff the,
would vote for
That can he readily seen by any
one who viii take the trouble to rea
this Illinois Republican platform
which has evidently been CAREFUL
prepared by the standpat faction C.
the Republican party as a more c'
plicit pattern for the national CONVEX
ton to follow than the Roosevelt
Taft platform adopted by the lat
Ohio convention. Both platforms d
clare for revision after election" br
neither declares for tariff reduction
In fact, the Illinois convention d.
clares for minimum and maylmul
ratcs-the minimum rates giving fu
protection" which must mean that III
minimum rates of the proposed ne
tariff law will not be any less tina
the present law provides and on tC
Of that much higher maximum rates
, he charged on imports from those 70
eign countries that exact high rate
OH American products.
That can only mean revising Il
tariff higher. Democrats are q
agreed that the tariff must be =
duced, so that the tariff will not pr
teCt the trusts that sell cheaper
foreigners than to our own people
Is hardly possible that those Repu
liCan voters who believe in reduCtit
I OF the high rates Of the present tar
q and who have waited so patiently f
their own party to undertake 1t, W
q longer be fooled by such specie
p promises that on their face are
tpOhpI n 1apntva