The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1909-06-15
REVISION DOWNWARD.

following: "The Republican party de.
clares unequivocally for revision of
the tariff by special session OF Con.
grcss Immediately following the inaug.
uration of the next President -
There can he no question in the
world but that the country understood
that the revision to be made was to be
by way of cutting down the duties.
President Taft, accordingly, in his
speeches, made clear his positlon-that
the revision was to be downward. He
declared at Milwaukee on September
oath, that the revision OF the tariff. in
accordance with the pledges of the Re
publican platform s"will be on the
whole, substantial revision down
ward - And further in the same
speech, ne said ~ do not hesitate to
say with All the emphasis of which
| am capable, that if the party is given
the mandate of power in November, it
will perform its promises in good
faith That is, as he construed the
platform Of the Republican party it
would make in good faith ga substan-
tial revision downward -
Again, in Des Moines. September
Goth, he stated that, in his Judgment.
as in that of many Republicans "There
are many schedules of the tariff in
which the rates are excessive And
he followed that, by the same declara.
tion which he made in Milwaukee that
sin accordance with the pledges Of the
Republican party, the revision Will be
on the whole, a substantial revision
downward -
At Cincinnati on September 22nd, he
stated, in discussing the proposed re
vision of the tariff: 1.-The Dinglev
tariff has served the country well, but
It's rates have become generally exces-
sive.
No one at that time, had any other
thought than of agreeing with Nh
Taft. Every one considered that he
voiced the Republican opinion, and that
that act of the extra session which the
Republican platform promised, with the
revision Of the tariff to be made at
such session, would he "a substantial
revision downward. If any one had
objected at that time. and said that
nothing Of the kind would happen. and
that the sort of revision which the
Senate is now making, would he what
the Republican party would stand for
he would have been pilloried as an enc
my of the party, as a vilifer Of its
honesty and good faith.
And yet, we sec at the present ses-
sion of Congress, number of Sena-
tors, including Aldrich. Lodge, Hale,
Hepburn, and others, that might he
named squarely denSing that the Re
publican party has made any pledge
for a reduction of the tariffs, or 10 en-
act revision downward Some Sen.
ators, of course. have forgotten last
years campaign, have forgotten the
promises of President Taft and the
popular understanding which was al
tached TO the Republican National
platform in its emphatic declaration
for revision.
1t is matter of course that the
Of protection. is not, in the
least, in question in this matter of the
revision of the tariff, Republicans
have always maintained that the prin-
ciple of protection could be applied in
the tariff rates, just as well on low
schedules as on high. And il has al. |
WAYS been the contention of the Re !
publican party that, in order TO save
A. r,I1 f,f
necessary TO have the tariff revised by
the friends of protection. This is a |
Just claim-one that should be fairly |
acceded TO. And it was in this spirit |
that the country intrusted The Repub. |
lican party with the duty and labor Of |
revising the tariff and revising il
downward, as Mr.. Taft said repeatedly |
in his speeches, that it would do
On those industries in which Ameri.
can labor needs protection, there is DO
question, and there has been NO aucs-
ton at any time, among Republicans,
as TO the proprIcty of tariffs that |
would make American labor good as
against the pauper labor Of Europe. or
the pcon labor of Mexico This has
always been the leading principle of |
the tariff; it is what The Tribu,c
urged with respect TO the lead tariff |
il is what every one urges in the tar
III on wool, 10 protect the American
wool growers against cheap Australian |
wool. But this has no necessary con
uection, i'll fact. it Is often in direct |
with the claims and en-
OF the manufacturers of
woolen goods. who arc, themselves. !
often the most oppressive foes posi-
Bile upon thc American wool growers
This was manifest last year when the
wool manufacturers put down the price
of wool TO such figures that the wool
growers In this region refused TO sell, !
prcterring 10 store their wool; and |
tins was not question of tariff at all, !
but simply the hogglng of the manu-
facturers under tho tariff which had |
been imposed primarily for the bene. |