The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1909-07-27
The Latest Effort
To Fool the People.

It may be that readers of The Jour
nal will recall it's instant appreciation
and exposure of the grand stanI play
with the president at the bat made
by the Republicans in Washington,
when a great hullaballoo was raised
over Mr.. Taft's insistence that certain
raw materials should be placed on
the free list in order that his PROM
ises OF a downward revision of the
tariff might be redeemed.
The Journal called attention to the
futilfty of such a plan as afrording
any relief to the people, the victims
OF high protection on the necessities
of life, the manufactured commodi-
ties which enter into everyday use;
and 1t likewise ridiculed this thinIy-
yelled bit of tomfoolery, giving it it's
true character: just one more deal
in the bunco game in which the re-
publican party has shown such pro-
ficieDcy-just one more effort to fool
a long suffering people.
During the past week the truth Of
The Journals Interpretation of the
situation has come to light and the
silly attempt at humbug has been
commented on by the daily newspa-
pers far and wide. Even certain re-
publican congressman have been I'M
able to swallow the proposition and
have demanded that if these raw ma
terials are placed on the free list the
tariff on commodities manufactured
from them should either be greatly
reduced or the commodities them
selves be allowed to enter free.
AS is asserted by a recent special
dispatch from Washington, the truth
about the tariff bill is that 1T is i'm
possible to make it into one which
will give the consumers the relief
that they have been cIamoring for.
The only way to do that would be 20
make an entirely new bill upon an en-
tirely new principle"
And the same dispatch develops
the situation as previously defined by
The Journal in the following:
The object seems TO be to satisfy
public clamor. And while the presi-
dent and his nose-leaders understand
that the people will find it out as
soon as they go to their stores to buy
things, it is confidently believed that
there will be such a flood of capital
turned loose as soon as this capital
fostering tariff bill is passed that the
people will forget all about the high
prices they are paying. The idea IS
tn satisfy this tremendous cIamor, fo-
the moment. Then they will try 10
Keep it down by the all potent tnf1U-
ence of the dollar.
It may be true that much capital
will be turned loose when the tariff
bill shall have become a law. al
though it is well to note that even
now American money is seeking in
vestment in foreign countries, China
and Honduras having come into
prominence in this respect during re-
cent days. But it may be put down as
a fact that the poor man who will
have to pay a still greater advance in
price on everything he needs will re-
ceive but scant benefit from this
stream OF dollars. And it NAV also
be regarded as certainty that an ap-
pearance of prosperity based on an
artificial condition will come to the
same abrupt end it did in the fall of
1907.
An abnormal development in a gov
eminent is just as treacherous as in
human being-the bottom is apt to
drop out when least expected; a trif-
ling accident will effect its ruin. And
it matters not whether this abnormal
prosperity come from a protective
tariff, whereby the trusts are foster
ed, an inflated currency, whereby the
people are fooled by the sight OF
much money into thinking they own
the earth or from any other arti-
fetal source, it is sure-like "a whist
ling girl or a Growing hen, to come
to some bad end" as the ancient song
declares.
Reformers in Gotham have always