The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-09-24

The issue between Tom McNeal and
Dan Anthony in their race for con-
gress in the First district has been
sharply drawn and it is tariff revision.
Anthony takes the ground that the
Payne bill is a rea! revision measure
and the best ever enacted by congress.
was Conceived in sin and brought
forth in iniquity;" that it is a bunco
and shell game played upon the peo-
pie by the eastern interests.
The First district congressional fight
will be a clear cut test of the feelings
certify of the special session and
whether or not the Payne bill is in
the opinion of the majority of the
people of the First district, a redemp-
ton of Republican promises made last
summer.
Anthony, in a Topeka interview this
week, expressed himself in terms of
praise and pleasure in regard to Presi-
dent Taft's defense of the Payne bill
in his Winona speech and declared
that the kickers on the tariff revision
work of the special session were free
traders.
editorial by McNeal in the Mail and
Breeze under the heading, HAS Taft
Been Buncoed:'
sit seems to us that any person who
has made a reasonably careful, impair
tial study of the tariff law passed by
congress at the special session, must
have read the recent speech of the
president at WinOna with q feeling. to
say the least, of profound aSton1Sh-
ment.
ITO begin with, the speech has a
number of statements in it that it
would puzzle the defenders of Mr. Taft
to reconcile with each other. In one
sentence he declares unqualifedly that
the new tariff bill is the best that ever
was, and in another sentence he
admits that he can't tell how the
blamed thing will work until after it
had been tried. In one sentence he
seems to rather praise the Republican
members of the senate and house who
voted against the bill on its final pass
age on account of their independence,
and in another he virtually reads them
dependent action.
''In our opinion, the president
never made speech that was SO de-
fective in logic of that showed such
talks like a man who feels that it is
incumbent on him to defend this law
as special advocate, rather than
discuss it impartially as the head or
the nation. God knows the law needs
a defender. We have hesitated here
tofore to express an opinion in regard
to this law because we did not feel
that we understood enough of its
provisions to give fair opinion we
have now, however, examined 1t with
considerable care. We have read the
opinions of various experts who have
analysed section by section its pro-
visions and We now say unhesitantly
that il, as the president says. this is
the best tariff bill that has ever been
enacted then the Lord help the
worst
1.-The United States will prosper no
doubt even under this law. for the
reason that our resources are SO
and the natural oppor-
tunities and abilities of our people
are so great that they will prosper
under almost any sort of legislation
that car be enacted. But the more
we study this law the more convinced
we are that it is one of the most stu
pendous bunco games that has ever
been played on the American people.
t'Space does not permit going Into
all the details of the bill. 1t was con-
ceived in sin and brought forth in
iniquity. While processing to give the
people break it has given them
stone. The deceit of the trainers of
this bill; the cunning phraseology by
which they have concealed their real
purpose of the measure. raising
duties where the general public sup
posed that they were being lowered.
would put to shame the Vaccinations
Of the father of liars and deserve the
of every honest, citizen
Of the republic"