The Caucasian. (Clinton, N.C.) 188?-1913, 1909-07-22
WASHINGTON LETTER
President Declares That Tariff
Must be Revised Downward;
Pledges Must be Kept.
ONE DEMOCRATIC TRIUMPH
Any Abuse VIII Hurt Protective
PrincipIes-Many Think President
Taft Should Have Spoken Earlier
His Present Position Satisfactory
to Friends Of Protection.
Special to The Caucasian.

SppCldl 10 ne CduCdoidus
Washington. D. c., July 20, 1909.
President Taft has, 1t seems, finally
laid down the law to the Senate and
House cOnferees with reference to
the tariff He has declared again
most emphatically that the tariff
rates must be reduced downward;
that the party pledges must be faith
fully kept. But this time he has
gone even further and has pointed
out that the duties on oil, coal, lum-
Der, iron ore and other raw materials
must be materially reduced, as well
as many duties on manufactured
products.
The Presidents position Is that
product Is higher than what is nee
essary to cover the difference in the
production of that article here and
abroad that 1t must be reduced to
that point, for that is the party prom
ise and pledge. He also takes the
position that raw materials should
be free except when foreign raw ma
terials can be brought into injurious
competition, and in such cases, and
such cases only, should there be a
duty, and then the duty should be
only high enough to prevent such
competition.
This is sound doctrine. In fact,
1t is the only sound doctrine on
which the protective policy can be
based and successfully maintained.
Any abuse of this doctrine will not
only hurt the protective principle.
but 1t will make its results work op-
posite from what its friends right
fully claim for 1t.
When rates are made too high, In
stead of rates protecting American
Industries to the point where they
will encourage the establishment of
independent enterprises, and there
fore home competition, the result
will be to help the establishment OF
trusts-to crush independent COM
petition in cooperation with rail-
road rates and Determinations.
1t Is regretted by many that Presi-
dent Taft had not spoken more plain
ly and pointedly at an earlier date
when the various schedules of the
bill were under consideration. His
present position, however, Is most
satisfactory to the real friends Of
protection, the only question being
will the President be able without
vetoing the bill to accomplish all
that he desires.
If the ultra high protectionists
yield to the Presidents view, the bill
will become a law al very early
date; if they do not, the prospect
for a long drawn-out contest is In
sight.
One Democratic Triumph.
A few days ago there was played
remarkable game Of baseball in
Washington between the Democratic
Congressman on the one side and the
Republican Congressman on the 9TH
er. The Democratic Congressman
won the game.
So seldom has the Democratic
party ever won a victory of any kind
that was to its credit or that was
not to the detriment of the country,
that the winners were evidently sur
prised and the defeated were not
able to understand how the Demo
Gratis could win victory of any
kind.
A wag who looked on at the game
probably expressed the situation In
its true light, when he said: while
them Dems. have at last won at
something, and there will be no pam
ic following their victory; therefore
1t would seem that the Democratic
party has at last found one vocation
at which it can triumph and out oi
which no harm can result" Con.
tinuing, he said: 81 suggest that
Mr.. Bryan now organize his party
into one great national baseball
game and stick to that occupation tC
the end of time, not only that they
might profit from the gate receipts
but that the interests Of the country