Daily independent. [volume] (Elko, Nev.) 188?-1915, 1909-08-24
LET'S HAVE LIGHT
ON THE TARIFF

It comes with peculiarly bad grace
upon the part of certain repu blican
newspapers like the Star, and some
selftseeRing republican politicians, to
eriticise the attitude of the democratic
party on the revision of the tariff and
matters of taxation.
The position of the democratic party
has always been reasonable. always
1914 to the present day. The party has
stood for IL tariff for revenue only,
never for tariff for protection. 1t has
always believed that the government
should be economically administered up
OH the duties received from imports, and
that duties sufficient for the expenses of
the government should be levied and
impartially collected. The democratic
party still stands for these principles
because it believes them to be right,
and, furthermore, because it believes
that in their operation lies an equity
for all Of the people.
ON the other hand, the republicans
have consistently stood by the mass of
Inconsistencies which the tariff for pro-
lection has engendered. The republi-
can party has always been loyal to the
pernicious habit of legislating money
from the hand of the producer into the
pocket of the manufacturer. The chief
idea of the republicans has taken
Tarious gpises- sometimes measures for
The protection Of American labor against
foreign, sometimes q war tax upon the
necessities of life. with every rich
interest exempt, and sometimes special
privileges in the form of largess. like
the bounty given to the wealthy sugar
planter
AT last the country has found this
condition of things unbearable. 1t is
turning to the democratic party for
relief. The statement that the tariff is
Il republican question which will be
settled within the republican star
chamber proceedings is too preposterous
for consideration, an insult to the in
tciligenCe of the American people The
tariff is an "All American question"
and all the American people are going
TO give it to the democratic party for
settlement. No hope lies in the camp
of the insurgents. The recent vote of the
immortal seven senators against the
Aldrich-Payne bill was not SO much to
encourage democrats npon the broad
plan of revision downward as 1t was to
compel Aldrich togrant certain changes
IN the schedule. Cunmins, Dolliver,
3cveridge ct al, do not differ materially
from the standpatters. They differ in
degree, not in kind. They are high
pr0tectiOnists. every one of them. Pub
licly they have scorncd to bc classed
with those who are fighting revision
downward ON principle. Their idea
was not SO much to serve the people
as to protect certain vested interests.
IT the insurgents were asked tomorrow
To give the country an earnest of their
intentions they would issue n statement
80 vague, SO ncbulOns. so lacking i'm
sense that it would not be worth atten-
ton.
The country knows where the demo.
cratic party stands upon all these issues.
The democratic party has reason for
the faith that is within it. The party
will put brave men to stand upon boldly
stated issues. The party will have "a
man in every congressional district in
the United States to meet the issues OF
the enemy There will he no misti.
ness of statement, no eJuivocation
The democratic party has determined