Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-08-25

"unequivocally for a revision of the
tarif" and the need is so urgent thai
the work is to be undertaken at "a
special session of congress Immediate
ly following the Inauguration of the
next president" The use of the word
"unequivocally," indicates that those
who wrote the platfrom recognize that
they are under suspician. They want
to distinguish this promise from the
unkept promises of the past by adding
as emphatic an adjective as could be
found in the dictionary. If former Re
] publican promises had been conscien
tiously fulfilled, it might not have
been necessary to thus strengthen the
promise made this year The use OF
the words Immediately after the in
auguration" is evidence that the Re
publican leaders are conscious that
the patience of the public has been
strained to the point of breaking, and
1t is almost pathetic to note the sole
ltude which they now feel about do
ing a thing which, but for wilful ne
glect might have been done at any
time during the last ten years.
The Appeal for Protection.
Are we not justified in saying that
/ the people cannot safely entrust the
execution of this important work to q
party which is so deeply obligated 10
the highly protected interests as is the
Republican party?" The 'fat frying
process has become familiar to the
American people. Pressure has been
brought to bear upon the protected in
terests every four years-and to a less
extent In the congressional campaigns
between presidential elections - to
compel contributions to the campaign
fund in return for former favors and in
anticipation of favors yet to come 1t
is difficult to overestimate the cor
rupting influences introduced into the
political life of the nation by this part
nership between the government and
the favored industries.
! The literature circulated in support
of a protective tariff has studiously
cultivated that idea that suffrage
should be employed to secure pecun-
larry returns, and the appeal made by
the Republican leaders has come to be
more and more selfish one. Every
man engaged in protected industry
has been approached with the propo-
sition that 1t is dollars in his pocket
to maintain the system, while those
who could not possibly trace any tan
gible benefits to themselves have been
beguiled with the assurance that it
was all matter of public spirit and
| they ought to support the system out
of patriotic love of country. If atten-
tion was called to the fact that the far
mer was taxed for the benefit of the
manufacturer. the triple answer was
that it would come back to him indi-
rectly; that it did not amount to much
for each farmer anyhow; and that a
man was small minded who would be-
grudge so Insignificant a contribution
to the nations prosperity.
The Pecunary Argument.
The plan has been to keep the tax
payers quiet by keeping them in the
dark as to the operation of the law,
and then to concentrate the votes and
influence of the tax-eaters in favor Of
continuation of the high tariff legs-
lation. If tariff of fifty per cent was
imposed upon a given article of mer-
chandise, it was assumed that those
engaged in the production of the a-t-
Gle would contribute literally to keep
UP the tariff. It was also assumed that
the employees would vote with their
employers to keep from having their
wages reduced, and it was expected
that the business men of the town
would also vote for the tariff because
of the business brought to the commu-
nifty by the protected industry. Those
who are acquainted with the tariff
fight know to what an extent the pecu-
mary argument has been used The ~e-
cent Republican PLATFORM is bugle
call to every beneficiary of special
privilege to enlist again under The Re.
publican banner, and when the cleo
ton is over and the Republican com
mittee publishes list of contributors
to late to make the information val
uable-it will be found that the Repub-
lican party has again so obligated it.
self to the protected interests as %
be unable to make a revision in the IN
terests of the consumers.
The Farmer and the Tariff.
The Republican platfrom says that
the tariff Is intended for the Amedican
manufacturers, farmers and producers,
and especially for the wage earners.
If the farmer and the wage Garner
are really the chief benefciaries of the
protective system will the Republican
candidate explain why the farmer and
the wage Garner have contributed so
little to the Republican campaign
fund? Is he wiling to Publish a list on
the 18th day of next October and al
low the relative advantage of protec-
ton to the manufacturer, the farmer
and the wage Garner to be measured
by the contributions received from
each class. Why is it that the manu-
facturers are expected to furnish so
large a proportion of the money to run
the campaign, if, as the Republicans
claim, the farmers and the laborers
enjoy so large proportion in the ben
Gifts of the system? Is it not signif.
cant fact that the farmers and wage
earners who are always put in the
foreground when the blessings of
high tariff are being enumerated are in
the background when the collections
are being made? Is it not significant
that the manufacturers, who furnish
the funds, are SO little advertised as
beneficiaries? Is it not significant also
that the wage earners instead of
20 nt,,