The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-09-18

against biIi Rpdnuoneu HepuphCdH
Party>-Clsims to Have Been Orig
inaI Revisionist and Reviews Work
Of Congressman Who Investigated
Conditions at Homo and Abroad.
Winona, Mimi, Sept. IS. - In the
most important utterance he has
made since his occupancy of the
White House, President Taft here, In
state which is the hotebed of the
"insurgent" movement within the Re.
publican party, defended the Payne
tariff bill as the best tariff measure
ever passed by Republican con.
gross and hence the best tariff bill
the people have ever known. The
president boldly asserted that the In.
surgents who voted against the bill
had abandoned the Republican party
WAS Il the duty of the member of
congress who believed that the bill
did not accomplish everything that 1t
ought to accomplish TO vote against
itY" asked the president. II am here
to justify those who answer this ques-
tion in the negative. l am not here
to defend those who voted for the
Payne bill, but to support them"
To this statement the crowd In the
opera house responded with a cheer
which could be heard far down the
gfr oh tnA ht, he a
herents OF Representative James A.
Tawney of this district, the chairman
Of the house committee on appropria.
tions, who has been OH the defensive
ever since the adjournment OF con.
gress because he did not vote with
the other members of the delegation
from Minnesota, both in the house
and senate. against the bill.
Mr.. Tawney met the president at
Lacrosse, Wis. and accompanied him
to this city, his home town. It had
been reported for some time that the
president intended defending Mr..
Tawney for his party regularity, but
there were none to predict that the
president would 20 SO far as he did
In characterizing the position taken
by the insurgent senators and repre-.
sentatives. Tho president had met
Senator LaFollette of Wisconsin. one
Of the leaders of the insurgent move
ment, at Milwaukee during the fore.
noon. and had greeted him quite cor.
daily.
ITO make party government effec-
tive" said the president, "the men,
bers of that party should surrender
their personal predictions of com
paratively less Importance. am not
here to criticise those who felt so
strongly and believed so intensely
that II was their duty to vote against
the tariff bill because IL did not con-
tain all they thought II should II
was question for each man to settle
for himself.
I'm matters of this kind II Is a
question with the party representa-,
tive whether he shall help maintain
the party solidarity for accomplishing
It's chief purposes or whether the de-
parture from principle IN the bill, as
he regards 1t, is so extreme that he
must in conscience abandon the
party"
President Taft spoke In part as fol.
lows: AS long ago AS August. 1906.
In the congressional campaign In
Maine. ventured to announce that
was tariff revisionist, and thought
that the time had come for readjust-
ment of the schedules. pointed out
that II had been 10 years prior 10
that time that the Dingley bill had
been passcd that great changes had
taken place In the conditions sur
rounding the productions of the farm,
the factory and the mine, and that
under the theory of protection in that
time the rates imposed In the Ding
ley bill In many Instances might
have become EXCESSIVE; that is,
might have been greater than the diff
ference between the cost of produc-
tion abroad and the cost OF pyoduc-
tion at home. with a sufficient allow
ance for a reasonable rate of profit
to the American producer.
II said that the party was divided
on this Issue. but that in my judg-
ment the opinion OF the party was
crystalizing and would probably re-
suit in the near future In an effort to
make such revision. pointed out
the difficulty that there always was
In a revision OF the tariff. due to the
threatened disturbance OF Industries
TO be affected and the suspension of
business, In way which made II un-
wise to have too many revisions. In
the summer of 1907 my position on
the tariff was challenged, aud then
entered into somewhat fuller dis
cussion of tho matter. ~
ut was contended by the so-called
'stand-patters' that rates beyond the
necessary measure Of protection were
not Objectionable, because behind the
tariff wall competition always raised
the priceg and thus saved the con