The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1909-07-21
TAFT AND THE TARIFF.
PRESIDENT COMMITTED TO
DOWNWARD REVISION.
RAIN Talk to Protesting Republicans
Tariff Must Come DOwn-Threat
ened to VetO-Taft Stands with the
Chicago Platform.

regard to the downward revision of
the tariff was swept away today, |
when statement was given out at
tie White House setting forth in de-
tail what the president had 10 saw to !
the twenty-three Republican mem
bers of congress who called to protest
against putting raw material on the
free list
The president declares that the Re-
publican party is committed to a |
IdoWnward revision; that he has new
e. had any other idea of the Chicago
platform, and that he, personally has
promised a downward revision to the
people.
This statement is interpreted in
some quarters here tonight as a di-
rect notification to the conferees on
the tariff bill that, if the measure they
finally agree upon does not constitute
material reduction in specific du-
ties, the president will veto it.
The story of the conference is out
lined in the White House statement,
in the third person, which follows:
| Mr.. Young, of Michigan, opposed
free ore, Mr.. .Mondell opposed free
coal and reciprocity with Canada and
free hides, each on the ground that
the policy would injure the interests
participated in by other representa-
tives, who urged that the doctrine of
free raw material was not a Repub-
ilcan doctrine.
The president replied that he was
net committed to the principle of free
raw material, but that he was COM
mitted to the principle of a down.
ward revision of the tariff. which he
had promised, and that he was oblig-
ed to look at the matter, not from
the standpoipt Of any. particular dis
trict, but from the standpoint of re-
sponsibility for the entire Republican
party He said the question in each
case was question Of fact. to be de-
termined by evidence as to whether
tho present duty was needed for pro-
lection or whether the rate was exces-
sive. so that a downward revision or
putting the article on the free list
would not injure the industry.
He repeated the platform of the
Republican party and said he had al
ways understood that it meant a
downward revision in many instances,
though perhaps in some few instances
An Increase might be needed; that he
reached this construction of the plat
form on what he understood to be the
principle of protection and it's justifi-
cation, namely, that after an industry
was protected by duty equal to the
difference between the cost Of pro-
duction abroad and the cost of pro-
duction in this country, including a
fair profit to the manufactures, the
energy and enterprise of American
business men and capitalists, the ef-
fectiveness of American labor and the
ingenuity Of American inventors, un-
der the impulse of competition be-
hind the tariff wall, would reduce the
cost of production, and that, with the
reduction and cost of production, the
tariff rate would become unnecessari-
ly 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 a general rule that of course
I, a revision of the tariff could not be
perfect, must have defects and incon-
sistencies; but, in so far as his in
huence went, when called upon to act
in connection with legislation, it
| would be thrown in the direction of
performing the promises of the party
eS he understood them. and that if
iron ore and oil and coal and hides
did not need protection, and the con-
| ditions were such as to enable the ore
producers and the oil producers and
the coal producers and producers of
hides to compete successfully without
reduction of wages, with the pro-
ducers abroad, then they did not need
a duty, and their articles should go
on the free list. 1t was a question of
fact which he hoped to make up his
mind with respect to, on such evil
| dence as was available to him in or
| der to carry out what he understood
to be the promises of the party to the
whole people.
He said he felt that his position as
the titular head Of the Republican
party and as president with the