Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1909-09-22
PRESIDENT TAFTS
SPEECH ON TARIFF
Plainly Declared His Position at
Winona Meeting.
Defends Position of Himself and His
Party-Shows That Revision in
Bill Was Downward.

The following extracts are taken
from the speech made by Presidents
Taft at Winona, Mimi, last Friday
evening:
Mr.. Payne reported the bill-the
Payne tariff bill-which went to the
senate and was amended in the senate
increased the duty on some things
and decreasing it on others. The
difference between the house bill and
the senate bill was very much less
than the newspapers represented. II
turns out upon examination that the
reductions in the senate were about
equal to those in the house, though
they differed in character
lone way of stating what was
done is to say what the facts show,
that under the Dingley law there
were 1904 items. This included
dutiable items only. The Payne law
leaves ] 100 of these items unchanged.
"There are decreases in 654 of the
items and increases in 22O of the
items.
FAIR COMPARISON.
In order to determine the i'm
portance of the changes it is much
fairer to take the articles on which
the rates of duty have been reduced
and those on which the rates of duty
have been increased, and then demand
from statistics how large a part of
the articles upon which duties have
been reduced play in the consumption
of the country and how large a part
those upon which the duties have
been increased play in the consump-
tion of the country. Such a table
has been prepared by Mr.. Payne,
than whom there is no one who I'M
derstands better what the tariff is and
who has given more attention to the
details of the schedule.
| Now this statement shows as CON
clusively as possible the fact that
there was substantial downward
revision on articles entering into the
general consumption CT the country
which can be termed necessities, for
the proportion is So. 600, 900. 900 rep
resenting the consumption of articles
to which decreases applied, to less
than So. 600, 600. 5000 of articles of
necessity to which the increases ap,
Piled
PROTECTS HOME TNDTTSTRTES
Il did not agree, nor did the
Republican party agree, that we
would reduce rates to such point as
to reduce prices by the introduction
of foreign competition. That is whst
the free traders desire. That is what
the revenue tariff reformers desire,
but thai is not what the Republican
platform promised. and it is not what
the Republican party wished to briug
about. -
WOOL DUTIES TO HIGH.
'With respect to the wool schedule
I agree that it is too high and it
ought to have been reduced. and that
it probably represents considerably
more than the difference between the
cost of production abroad and the cost
of producing here. Mr. Payne and
Mr.. Aldrich found that in the
Republican party the interests of the
wool growers of the far west and the
interests of the wooden manufacturers
in the east and in other states was
sufficiently strong to defeat any at
tempt to change the wooden tariff and
that had it been attempted it would
have beaten the bill reported from
either. / am sorry this is so and
wish that it had been otherwise. It
is the one important defect in the
present Payne bill.
PAYNE BILL THE BEST.
THAT it will increase the price of
wooden cloth OF clothes, very much
believe There have been increases
by the natural increase in the price
of wool the world over as an agri-
cultural product. but this was not due
to the tariff because the tariff was
not changed. The increase would,
therefore, have taken place whether
tbs tariff would have been changed or
not The cost of wooden clothes,
behind the tariff wall, through the
effect Of competition, has been greatly
less than the duty, if added to the
price.
"But as have already said, l am
quite willing to admit that. allowing
the WOODEN schedule to remain where
it is it is probably not a compliance
with the terms of the platform as I
interpret it and as it is generally un-
derstood.
ION the other hand. however, am
u y -