The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-07-30

shall be brought within the law. To
destroy them and to eliminate the
wealth they represent from the pro-
| ducing capital of the country would
entail enormous loss, and would throw
out of employment myriads of work
ingmen and worl,inSwomen. Such a
result is wholly unnecessary to the ac-
complishment Of the needed reform
and will inflict upon the innocent far
greater punishment than upon the
guilty.
Destructive Policy of 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
| ly dependent on 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 us 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 buSi-
ness. After ten years of the most re.
markable material development and
prosperity, there came financial strin-
gency, a 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 of Protection.
The Republican doctrine Of protec
tion, as definitely announced by the
Republican convention of this year
NV Mt iS hat a
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-
tion 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-
sonabe profit to the American pro-
ducer. A system of protection thus
adopted and put in force has led to
the establishment of a 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-
tions under which many articles de-
scribed by the schedules of the tariff
are now produced The tariff in Il
number of the schedules exceeds the
difference between the cost of prOduc-
ton of such articles abroad and at
home, including reasonable profit to
the American producer. The excess
over that difference serves no useful
purpose, but offers Il 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 are
other schedules in which the tariff IS
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 Of
the new administration. and considered
at special session with the prelimi-
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 and What the Republican Party
Has Done For 1t.
: We come now to the question Of la
Dor One important phase of the pol
lcies Of the present Administration has
been an anxiety to secure 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
crnment employees and on government
construction. The essence of the re-
form effected by the former is the
abolition Of the fellow-servant rule,
and the Introduction of the compara-
tive negligence theorv by which an en-
ployee injured in Ne 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-
viding for compensation for injury to
government employees, together with
the various statutes requiring safety
appliances upon interstate commerce
railroads for the protection of their