Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-08-22
BRYAN TALKS TARIFF
Fires First Gun of Campaign at
Big Des Moines Meeting.
CALLS ON CUMMINS, TOO
Tells the Governor That He's "a
Pretty Good Fighter"
"OVERFLOW'' ALSO HEARS HIM
Peerless Then Leaves for Chicago for
Conferences With His Cam
paign Managers.

parties on the tarlH question, Wlllldm j.
Bryan, democratic candidate for the presi-
dency at the base ball park last night
| fired the first gun in the campaign. Mr.
Bryan. accompanied by Mayor Frank W.
Brown of Lincoln, Private Secretary Rob
ert F. Rose and several correspondents,
arrived at 9:3O o'clock yesterday morn
ing The entire party was tired owing to
the long wait at the station in Lincoln.
On arriving in this city Mr.. Bryan and
those who accompanied him were driven
to the Slavery Hotel. where the democratic
candidate held an informal reception in
the lobby.
At the station to meet Mr. Bryan were
Mayor A. ]. Mathis of Des Moines,
Mayor Sears of Sioux City, Jerry Sulli-
van National Committeeman Wade, Fred
E. White, democratic candidate for gov
ernor. and many other prominent Iowa
democrats. Following breakfast at the
hotel Mr.. Bryan was taken for a ride
through the city.
This ride included an unexpected call
on Gov. Cummins in the executive cham
Der. The two men INDUCED in repartee
for ten minutes.
The senatorial fight which Mr.. Cum
Minis Is making was referred to by Mr..
Bryan. but Gov. Cummings asserted that
man may enjoy fight. 1t ID diff
cult proposition, however, to have to fight
your friends as we'll as your enemies" he
said.
You're a Scrapper, Cummins.
"You are a pretty good fighter, govern
or remarked Mr. Bryan with a smile,
land one fight at time won't keep you
busy"
Des Moines. one of the reception commit
too bo
still democrat.
Il am Cummins democrat" replied the
learned prelate, at which Mr.. Bryan urged
the governor not to press the priest too
hard.
The governor characterized Senator La
Toilette as a remarkable man. Il have
heard him deliver brief address of four
and half hours" he said, land in that
time drink a gallon and half of lemon
ade. That would kill you or me-
What does he put the lemon in for?"
inquired Mr. Bryan, and then laughed
After luncheon Mr.. Bryan rested for sew
eral hours. and at night. escorted by the
Young Mems Bryan Club and many
prominent democrats, he proceeded to
the base ball park, where the speech was
delivered.
Bryan Starts In.
After reading the tariff planks of the
republican and democratic platforms Mr..
Oily oil SpOhc III part dS IOlIOWS.
But let us suppose for the sake of
argument, that the republican party
sincerely repents of it's delay in begin
ming tariff reform, repudiates it's obliga-
tions to the contributing manufacturers,
and honestly begins a revision What
rule is to govern the revision? The re-
publican platform says:
In al tariff legislation the true prin
ciple of protection Is best maintained by
irnnngifinn n Init
equal the difference between the cost of
production at home and abroad, together
with q reasonable profit to American In
dustries.'
Mr.. Taft Endorses this rule and says
that in a runiber of schedules the tariff
now exceeds this difference, and that the
excess CG6rS temptation to those who
would mGnopolize the production and sale
of sucn articles in this country He adds,
however, THAI there are some few articles
on which the tariff is not sufficiently high
10 give them the measure of protection
,ney should rede Give.
will he explain upon what rule the
present tariff was framed? When have
the republicans claimed more protection
than enough to cover the difference in the
cost of production here and abroad? The
reasonable profit to American industries
is an addition to the rule. and is likely
to be used as an excuse for raising the
tariff. And, by the way, to what other
business does the government guarantee
a reasonable profit? To the farmer or
the merchant or the laborer? To none
of these. Ii in revising the tariff the re-
publican party is to work upon exactly
the same plan Tor a plan cOnte mplating
a higher rate), what hope have We that
the new tariff will be lower than the
present one?
Why All This Zealp
Are the present leaders more honest
than the ones who framed the existing
tarif9 Are they not. in fact the same
men who are responsible for tariff ex-
tortion during the last decade? If this
new born zeal for revision were a hun
dred times greater than his notification
speech indicates, what chance would the
republican candidate have of securing any
real tariff reform at the hands of such
republicans as now represent that party
in the Senate and House, the very men
who represented ii in the recent ma
has suppressed tariff legislation In the
present Congress. was a dominating fac
tor in the convention, and, If the repub-
licans retain control of the -1Ouse, will
be the Speaker of the next Congress.
Does his prominence afford tariff reform
erS any assurance of a reduction of the
tariff in the interest of the consumers?
I'm case of republican 'ictory Repre-
sentative Sherman will become the pre-
siding officer of the Senate. He has been
the confidential companion of Speaker
Cannon. and in the convention it was
Speaker Cannon who vOuched for him.
But, as matter of fact, Mr.. Sherman
stand-patism needed no Endorsement; his
record is a guarantee that no beneficiary
Of special privileges will be disturbed. 1t
was Representative Sherman who, in
speech in the House April IS last, boast
fully declared: We recognize the fact
that We have a republican ma jority in
the Senate, that we have a republican
majority in this House. that is ready to
stitutional right to enact such legisla ton
as it deems for the best interest for the
greatest number of our people, and which
Is willing and ready to accept full respon-
sibilty for all those measures which are
| introduced here and which are not enact
ed into law
Can Taft Explainr
How will Mr.. Taft explain to the aver
age man the benefits of protection? He
| can easily convince trust that it profits
by the tariff, but what about the victim
of the trust.
There Is no prospect of relief from a
democratic party. If intrusted with DOW
err. can and will reduce the tariff
what would be the effect of the rem
edy proposed by the democratic plat
form? Simply this: A law goes into
effect at some fixed date in the future
and II the democrats pass q law putting
upon the free list articles coming into
competition with those controlled by a
trust. the trust will have until that date
to dissolve. II the trust considers the
| law too drastic. 1t can avoid it by giving