The Elk Mountain pilot., 1909-07-22
Penning up the People

u' ltlNsHi hl u group OK pEhNtl-
nent western Reputiicau senators
: 70 vote for the Aldrich tariff bill
has -ycitrd much comment. The
| pnrly owes it's success lurgly tu its
4 protective tariff policy 1t WIS n
/ plank upon which every member
nt the party MIS- supposed TO be
able to stand. The man who could
not stand uppn it. MIR. Aldrich
/ argued, in the closing debate,
should consider himself notified to
~alk the plank. But senators
l5-vrridge, Dulliver. Cummuns, La
/ Toilette, aud the rest of the iusur-
gents declined t. he pushed into
ihe deep sea 10y wnve Of the Aid.
rich hand Tnry claimed that they
w-rc proleciionisls and the only
kind OF protectiuuists whom the
t'ounlry could lonJer tolerate.
"Ihe millions of people, " srid SEN
ator Beveridge. "who nsked for the
downward revision promised Were
protectionists. The great man
who promised it during the cnm.
paigu WAS n protectiomsi. The
way to preserve policy" said the
senator. is to keep it, just MS the
way to preserve a party is t. keep
lis faith The only danger to pro.
tectiur is the subtle but deadly
peril Of excess. To prevent that
peril has been the only Object Of
The senators who have fought for
the promises made in the purty
1 platform"
That declaration of the Indiana
senator shows the line of Cleavage
in the party of protection. The
insurgrrt senators. as they arr
called, ARE for policy Of protec-
ticn which protects the people as
well as the producer. Senator Aid.
rich is for tariff which puts the
consumer in the power of tie pro
dncer.
Has policy practically amounts
to sceme to enrieh one class Of
business men nj the expense uf all
other classes aud OF nll the people.
The higher the turilf wall Is built
thu more completely the people are
penued up nnd made the prey of
the explpiters. And the Aldrich
plan has been to make the wHll SO
nigh that nobody could get over
it. Just hefora the vote wns
taken, Senator La Toilette pre-
sentrd fresh statistics which show
I'd that the Senate bill increased
the tariff on 2iS articles over the
Dinghy duties Aud yet congress
was called in extra session to re-
duce the Dingley duties. Why
then were they ruised by Senator
Aldrich? Simply 10 make the wall
higher III order that the people
might be still more effectuany TX
plotted. ilr La Toilette also pre-
seuted n protest from the National
Association of Clothiers which de-
clared that the aggregate burden
cf the increased cost of mems and
boys clothing to the American
people. under the advance made 10y
the increased duties, will be 81 90
00Q,000 for the year 1910, which is
twice the value OF the annual wool
clip" The increased prices will
he approximately 50 so on $40
suit of clothes, So ON n Sl5 suit
and 50 on n $50 suit, or 20 to %
per rent of the cost of clothing to
the wearer. So that, not the sheep
but the people are to be penned up
and shorn. Referring to the state
ment made through Senator La
Toilette, Senator Gore said that
the directors of n new Bedford
factory, four days after the wooden
schedule was adopted, declared a
dividend of 81 per cent. The blind
senator also spoke oi Carnegie S
protected factories and exempted
foriune."
The issue, therefore, between the
ten Republican senators of the
West, and the Rhone Island lead
er is plain. 1t is the question
whether the nrotectlve policv shall