The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1909-09-15
D0DGEO TARIFF
That is ahst m1. sryan Says Of
President Taft
IN SPECIAL ARTICLE

In the Atlanta Journal the Grea,
Commoner Discusses the Differ.
euce Between the Words Revised
and Reduced and Puts Tariff Out.
rage Up to the Republican Party
In a letter to the Atlanta JouTcal
discussing the tariff. A-. Bryan says
the Republican platform was ambig-
uous, and the Democratic party plat
form specific. The Republicans n
their tariff plank used the word re
vised." The Democrats IN their par
ty platform demanded a reduction
OF the rates. The word revision Is
subject to . double Interpretation,
while only one construction can be
placed upon the word reduction. .
The Democratic senators and rep
resentatives who had 7oted for the
I'm mposition Of duties had made a
mistake. and whether elected upon
or before the adoption Of the plat
form Of the party. ought to feel
bound by its declarations.
most heartily approve the reso-
luton offered by Senator Gore. OF
Oklahoma. proposing an inyeetisa-
ton 40 to the responsibility for the
high cost OF living.
Senate, Gore Is entirely right
The high tariff Republicans have
! tried to shit. the responsibility
from the manufacturers to the mer-
| chants. This Is important, and It
is only right that the public should
know the truth
It has been found by experience
that unless q party sormulates
,,a..orm. its representatives IN Office
cannot agree upon definite policy.
owing to the influence brought to
| bear by favor-seeking corporations
Even when there are platforms they
are misconstrued unless they aEe
positive and specific Sometimes
positive and specific platforms are
violated. but q positive and specific
platform is not apt to be violated.
and when they a1e violated the guilt
can be fixed and the guilty punish
ed.
The trouble with the Republican
platform OF last fall was that It was
not specific and definite. The tariff
plank used :he word revised" In
stead Of the word reduced. and
now Senator A,drich and his crowd
corstrue It to mean an increase while
some OF the western Republicans
insist it contemplated decrease IN
the rates.
Mr.. Taft lodged the question. SO
Ear es could learn from his speech
es the nearest he eve. came to a
construction OF the platform was to
declare. when in the west. that It
meant an honest revision" a: one
time declaring that while some
schedules ought to be raised and
some lowered. the revision would
probably be downward.
The Republican nationa! conTen-
ton was at fault in accepting SO
indefinite, so evas!ve and SO decep-
tive a word as revision" as sut-
hcient promise. The voters ought TO
have known that "the friends Of the
tariff" will never give US any ma
tertal reduction
AS 70 the Democrats who voted
70. the imposition Of duties. they
have as rule defended their con-
duct on the ground taat the duties
voted for were revenue duties. and
they have not been high duties.
Measured on an. ad vaio-em basis,
the duty on lumber and on iron ore
are but small portion Of the price.
think tha, the Democrats who Tot-
ed for the duty made mistake.
The Democratic platform demand
ed free lumber. and believe a plat
form is binding upon all who run
upon it. and 1t ought to have weight
with the mem bers OF the party who
| we're elected before the platform was
adopted.
Those who voted for a duty on
lunb ber did so. presume. because OF
lumber interests IN their districts
aac States. but in doing so think
F.. they gave the preference to few
owners OF timber lands over those
who buy lumber. There IS no State
i in the Union where the consumers
Of lumber do not outnumber the per-
sons who profit by the tariff on lun-
Der. and the man who votes for
tariff on lumber votes 10 tax ma
| joritr Of the people OF his district
and State for the benefit OF minor
i,y OF his constituents. But the
men who &c, the bentft OF the tax
are more active In presenting their
demands than the consumers are
IN presenting their protests. and as
long as this Is true. the Tx eaters
will have the advantage over the
tax payers.
II the taxpayers would take
little more interest IN the tariff
question and chastise the representa-
tives who. ignoring the interests OF
the consumers. follow the aSvtce
OF the protected interests. relief
| would come so>Eer.
AS to the duty on iron ore. the
chief objection to It Is not that it
Is high rats OF duty. but that 1t
helr- people who do not need help.
and gives An excise for higher du-
ties on manufactured iron. The man
who owns bed Of iron has such an
enormous advantage over the man
-hn oroc s,rr,inc land thar II Is