Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1909-07-22
BULLY EoR TAET

cere way they expected when Taft and
Sherman were elected, and who have been
we'll nigh hopeless and respondent as
they have seen the Aldrichites trying to
pass of a gold brick on the country in
the shape of q tariff act that practically
accomplisbes nothing along the lines in
tended-these people viii take encourage
ment from the stand President Taft has
assumed in the closing days OF memora
BILE session.
The president has acted with the tact
and firmness that were ascribed to him
by his admirers and supporters during
the canvass. Instead Of taking the whip
in hand at the outset and directing Con-
his predecessor would, he refrained from
butting in with unsought and unwel-
come advice, contenting himself with the
declaration that the revision must be in
consonance with the party pledge. He
let Congress work away without inter
ference until 1t was apparent that crisis
had been reached, when he offered to help
the Senate out of its tangle and brought
about a solution by his corporation tax
proposition and income tax amendment.
The Senate followed his lead readily
enough when it discovered the sagacity
that prompted it. But for this action BY
the president, it is doubtful IL even Al
kdrich, with all his acumen, could have
brought his bill through that body in
semblance to command q hearing in the
inevitable conference between the two
houses. Both ofthese radical features dis
pleased the standpatters and conserva-
tives, but in order to save the bill from q
worse fate they had to rally in support Of
them.
But Taft is not through yet. As soon
as the conference COMMITTEES met and its
wide differences of views developed, the
members turned to Taft as to a guiding
hand. He promptly accepted the task Of
accomplishing such harmony as would
result in a measure acceptable to him.
He has been pleasant, but firm. He has
not melted resentment, but no one has
been in the dark concerning his views.
And, best of all, these views are unques-
tionably those of a tremendous majority
OF his own party and Of the country in
general. He stands for q downward re-
vision OF the tariff that shall be actual,
and not nominal. He demands q fair
and square fulhlment of the party pledge
of last year, read in the light OF it's plain
intent and meaning. His exact attitude
became known last Friday when q dele
CATION Of Congressman called on him
with the request thar he would favor a re-
tention Of duties on articles in the pro-
duction of which their several sections
were interested. He heard them respect
fully and then talked back in g way to
bring Joy to the hearts of his fellow Re-
publicans the country over. In an off,
cial statement issued FROM the White
House, his answer was given out as fol-
lows:-
"The president replied that he was not
committed to the principle OF free raw
material, but that he was committed to
the principle of q downward revision OF
the tariff, which he had promised, and
that he was obliged to look at the matter
! not from the standpoint Of any particular
district but from the standpoint Of the
whole country and also from the stand
point OF responsibility for the entire Re-
publican party. He said the question in
each case was a question of fact to be de-
termined by evidence as-to whether the
present duty wss needed for protection
or whether the rate was excessive, so that
a downward revision or putting the arti-
. Gle on the free list would not injure the
industry.
"He repeated the platform Of the Re
publican party and said he had always un-
derstood that it meant q downward revi-
sion in many instances, though perhaps in
some few instances an increase might be
needed; that be reached this construction
of the platform on what he understood to
be the principle of protection and it's JUS
| tiication, namely, that after an industry
was protected by a duty equal to the
difference between the cost OF production
abroad and the cost OF production in this
country, including a fair profit to the
: manufacturer, the energy and enterprise
, OF American business men and capitalists
the effectiveness of American labor and
the ingenuity of American inventors un-
der the impulse of competition behind
/ the tariff wall, would reduce the cost OF
production, and that with the reduction
in the cost Of production the tariff rate
would become unnecessarily high and
ought to be reduced.
"This was the normal operation of the
tariff as claimed by the defenders Of the
protective system-not in every case, but
as general. rule-that of course q re-
? vision OF the tariff could not be perfect
: must have defects and Inconsistencies
but in so far as his influence went, when
called upon to act in connection with leg
islation it would be thrown in the direc-
I ton OF performing the promises of the
3 party as he understood them, and that II
iron ore and oil and coal and hides did
not need protection and that the condi-
tions were such as to enable the ore pro-
3 ducers and the oil producers and the cot
e ton producers and the producers of hides
to compete successfully, without reduc-
tiOn OF wa0ea with the nrodaoous f-o,,.