Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1909-11-08


the people believe that black is white,
and that a broken promise is a full
performance of a sacred obligation.
Tariff Views.
With single word further upon the
tariff. am done with it for this tine.
There are millions of Republicans
who believe that tariff duties should
not substantially exceed the difference
between the cost of producing things
here and elsewhere with fair profit
added. I believe they constitute =
large majority Of the party; but If
they do not, they will in the near fut-
ure. They will never quit the fight
until they win the victory, and I warn
the men who are SO vociferous IN their
DEGREES Of expulsion that they had
better conserve their strength for self
defense. They will need all they have
and more.
The Republicans who insist that inn
port duties shall not furnish monop-
olies and combinations an opportunity
to exact unfair prices, are the best
and truest friends that the policy Of
protection has among the people of the
United States. They will stand Just
hb uTn12y 0ul1Ob Lndb WAN 6ANS NAO
American producer the home market
as they will against duties that will
enable domestic producers to occupy
that market at prices that satisfy all
the IoDgdngs Of greed and avarfce. Let
US silence at once and forever the dis
cordant cry that these Republicans
must be driven from the party ranks.
There is no power on earth that can
drive them out, and no power on earth
that can prevent them eventually from
faithfully applying the doctrine which
won the confidence and secured the
support Of the voters OF the United
States IN the last national campaign.
The puny efforts Of the few men who
are now amusing themselves revising
the Republican roster remind me of
that famous convention held by the
three tailors Of London, In which res
olutions of grave import were proceed
cd with preamble which began, I'VE,
the people of England" The conven-
ton adjourned and the people laughed.
The triumvirate will dissolve and the
people viii smile.
Financial Institution InadVlsabIe.
II you viii allow me to trespass still
longer upon your forbearance, ask
your consideration Of other subjects
quite as important as the tariff. In
country developed as ours Is devel-
oped, with our abstract ideas of lib
erty and free government thoroughly
established and never questioned, ma
tional politics relate almost entirely
to economic, industrial, commercial
and financial questions. Under these
conditions the natural dividing line,
politically speaking, puts the progress
ives into one party and the conserva-
tives in the other The traditions Of
the olden time, when the issues were
Of a different character, necessarily
obscure this division, but neverthsleas
the potential forces Of one party will
be progressive and Of the other con-
sorvative. Hitherto, although there
have been some irreclaimable and
hopeless obstructionists who have
been and are Republicans, the party
as whole has been progressive. It is
true that some of US have wanted to
march fast, others have wanted to
march slowly, q few have wanted TO
stand still, and here and there one
who wanted to retreat Nevertheless
the general course of the party has
been not only ahead, but ahead in the
right direction. There are some signs
now that a number of our distin-
gUished leaders think we have gone
far enough, and that we should settle
down, for a period at least, into the
quiet and peace OF ipactIon. I hazard
the prediction that If we do, the camp
we pitch will be our burial ground.
There are things to be done, and If we
are not willing to do them, some other
party will undertake the task, and we
will become nothing more than q mem
DRY in the life Of the nation / venture
to speak OF two or three OF the per
emptory calls to duty.
There is great unrest, especially
among the bankers, with respect to our
financial system. It is not all that it
should be, and probably has one seri-
GUS defect. 1t seems to be universally
conceded that there should be more
elasticity in our paper currency, al
though we have not yet tested the
efficiency of the law that was passed
IN response to the depression Of 1907.
While 1 am speaking here, the re-
nowned chairman OF the finance com
mittee OF the senate is speaking else
where in the city of Chicago upon the
subject which the monetary commits
sion has had under Investigation.
do not know what his views are. nor
am 1 familiar with the plan that he is
now laying before the country. Umay
be that 1 will be able to give his plan
my support in the senate of the Unit
ed States, and / earnestly hope that l
can. fear, however. that it will In
volve one of two things, both of which
look upon as hostile to the welfare
Of the American people. Any plan
which subjects the volume of our cur
rency to the pow-r and judgment OF a
few naen who may become selfshly in
terested in either expanding or reduc.
ing it. is bad, and, If carried into exc
cution, would enslaye the financial
world as completely as some narts NJ