Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1908-08-22
BRYAN ON THE TARIFF
Scores Republican Party for Failure
to Give Promised observation-disclosures
Opponents With Being Insincere.

\
Special to Times Republican.
iDes Moines, Aug. 22.-William
Jennings Bryan made two addresses
in Des Moines last night, one on the
tariff and the other on the Taft let
| ter of acceptance, the omissions of
| the republican platform and his reas-
ons for believing he is going to win.
He addressed many thousands in the
base ball park first delivered set
speech on the tariff, and then spoke
to the people gathered at the Audi
| forum and who had heard half
dozen or more other speakers.
| In his tariff speech Mr.. Bryan, after
referring to the declarations of the
party platform for tariff revision, said:
| eff tariff Of so per cent was i'm
posed upon a given article of mer-
chandise, it was assumed that those
engaged in the production of the arti-
Gle would contribute literally to keep
l
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 COM
munity by the protected industry.
Those who are acquainted with the
| tariff fight know to what an extent
the pecuniary argument has been
used. The recent republican platform
| is bugle call to every beneficiary
of special privilege to enlist again I'M
der the republican banner, and when
the election is over and the republi-
can committee publishes the list OF
contributors-too late to make the in
formation valuable-it will he found
that the republican party has again
so obligated itself to the protected in
| terests as to be unable to make a re-
vision in the interests of the consum-
ers.
| with a president who, toward the
close of his term, admitted the neces-
| sity for tariff revision, with a two
thirds majority in the senate and
nearly sixty majority u the house,
the republican party has refused to
permit any revision whatever. Mr..
lWilliams, the leader of the minority in
| the house, introduced a bill providing
for reduction of the tariff to 100 per
cent wherever it is now more than 100
per cent 1t would look like the re-
| publican party might have taken this
Estep toward tariff revision had it been
deeply in earnest; but no, the bill was
i 1,n 00r
| Whenever attention was called to an
| indefensible schedule, the answer was
that they could not afford to open the
subject for debate just before cam
paign, but there is no force IN this
objection because the house rules are
| so framed that the majority can cut
| off debate, prevent amendment and
! silence opposition.
| The administration has claimed cred
| it for the fine against the Standard
Oil company in the case which was
| lately reversed, but no effort has been
made to relieve the people from the
| fine which is imposed upon them every
day by the Standard Oil company thru
| the operation Of the tariff law which
gives that company more than l0O per
cent protection against it's chief rival,
Russia. What faith can real tarl1t
reformer, whether he be a republican
| or a democrat, repose in the republic
can leaders. when they deliberately put
| off all reduction until after election,
land then call for contributions, with
| the understanding that the public
shall not know the names of the con-
| tributors until after the polls are
| closed?
.aThe republican platform says that
the tariff is intended for American
manufacturers, farmers and producers,
and especially for the wage earners.
If the farmer and the wage Garner are
really the chief beneficiaries Of the
protective system, will the republican
| candidate explain why the farmer and
the wage Garner have contributed so
| little to republican campaign fund? Is
he willing to publish a list of contribu-
| tors on the 18th day of next October
and allow the relative advantage of
I protection to the manufacturer. the
! farmer and the wage Garner to be
measured by the contributions received
from each class? Why is it that the
manufacturers are expected to furnish
so large proportion Of the money
! to run the campaign, if, as the repub-
| licans claim, the farmers and the la
borersS enjoy so large a proportion in
| the benefits Of the system? Is it not a
significant fact that the farmers and
wage earners who are always put in
/ the foreground when the blessing of a
| 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
beneticiaries? Is It not significant al
! so that the wage earners, instead of the
manufacturers, are always described as
'.the most direct benefciaries of the
protective system?"
But let us suppose, for the sake of
argument, that the republican party
sincerely repents of it's delay in be-
ginning tariff reform, repudiates it's
| obligations to the contributing manu-
faeturers and honestly begins "re-
vision?A The republican platform says:
I'm all tariff legislation the true prin-
ciple of protection is best maintained
by the imposition of such duties as
will equal the difference at home and
abroad, together with reasonable
profit to American industries"
Mr. Taft indorses this rule and says
that sin a number of schedules the
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