Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-10-29
The Candidates and the Tariff.

A correspondent writes thus to the New
York Evening POST
Mr.. Taft has said that the tarin
should be lifted up on some things. ana on
others reduced. but he has not specineo
which he would have raised nor Wnlch ne
would have reduced. Suppose MT br sa
who is pre-eminently frank and free'
honest and open, in defining his own POSI-
ton in the most definite manner, exactiy
where and how he stands In regard 10 tne
tariff, as we'll as to other Pubic cues
tions, catechise Mr.. Taft and respectfully
request definite, explicit replies thereto.
Let there be no hinchlng nor dodelns,
but have him come out squarely ana
boldly and say what he would DO, tne
same as Mr. Cleveland did when he con-
sidered the subject of the tariff singly
and alone. We want to know. not III
vague and general language, but directly.
pointedly. specifically. what Mr.. Taft pur-
poses to do in the way of tarfn revision
if elevated to the chief magistracy or the
nation.
This man does not recall very clearly the
Cleveland tariff message Of December,
1887. or what followed. The deliverance
was in the most general terms. And nee
essarly. Mr.. Cleveland was not master
of the subject. and had he been inclined
could not have gone into details. But there
was no call for details from him. THEY
were for Congress and the experts 10
work out. He discharged his full duty
when he laid the matter before the law
making body.
Later, he came to regret even his gen.
eral terms. The protection democrats, led
by Senator German, deplored the message,
thought it a blunder and began at once
a movement to break the effect OF It,
BY convention time-Mr. Cleveland was
renominated the next summer-they mad
so far Influenced the President that he
consented to a modification of his position,
and Mr.. German, who was delegate,
took to the national convention a tariff
plank fashioned to suit the President, and
which gave a black eye to the message
of the previous December. But Henry
Watterson, who presided over the plat
form committee of the convention. would
not hear to the compromise, and held the
candidate to the message. When the
votes showed Mr.. Cleveland defeated for
reelection, the protection democrats laid
part of the blame in vigorous language at
Mr.. Watterson's door.
Judge Taft Is no more a tariff expert
than was Mr.. Cleveland. The probability
is that he could not in detail. so as to do
justice to all parties, draw a tariff bill.
He would have to be advised by experts
and In many things follow their sugges-
lions. He can only at this time state his
case in general terms. and he has done
that with a good deal Of frankness.
AS for Mr.. Bryan, he has gone no far
Their than Judge Taft except as respects
the policy Of protection. He is opposed to
that, and would abolish 1t. But, IN
aided, he could not draw q tariff bill that
Congress. or the business world. would
accept. He assisted in framing the VIII
son bill Of fourteen years ago, and that
measure pleased nobody. Mr.. Watterson
declared that 1t was no proper redemption
of the democratic promise of tariff for
revenue only. and when Mr.. German as
the democratic leader in the Senate got
his hands on 1t he turned 1t inside out.
When it was returned to them in the
House it's authors did not recognize 1t.
Since that time Mr.. Bryan has given no
thought or study to the tariff. Other
things have interested him, though moth
ing has fixed his attention for long.
The next President will recommend in
general terms and the next Congress work
out the details of tariff revision. That is
the proper order of things. Mr.. Bryan Is
no more qualified to catechise Judge Taft
than Judge Taft is competent to question
Mr.. Bryan as to the details Of a tariff
hill