The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1909-09-23

|hcan national platforms, the trainers
OF that document, or, at least, some
OF them tprobably not ally were sur
prised to find presented for incorpor-
alton. and with Mr.. Taft's approval,
q still further pledge of protection
beyond any which had ever been
made before. It provided that the
wall OF defence against foreign COM
petition should be raised still higher
by guaranteeing to American capital
"a reasonable profit. This new fea-
ture Of Republican protection doct-
rine naturally excited surprise. What
is a reasonable profit? How is this
new pledge Of protection to be con-
strued?
It was apparent to the trainers of
the platform, at least to some Of
them, that this elastic, ambiguous
phrase was calculated to make
trouble. 1t was referred back to
Washington, from whence came the
answer, distinct and unequivocal, that
that was Mr.. Taft's conception of
what the platform should contain and
that he insisted upon its incorpora-
ton in the tariff plank. 1t was thus
at his dictation that it was placed
there.
That the incorporation of this pc
culiar phrase was m1schievous and
dangerous, as had been anticipated
by members of the resolutions com
mittee, become apparent soon after
the campaign opened. 1t was taken
advantage of by the opposition, as
was expected, and that phrase more
than anything else compelled the
abandonment of the golf links and
the mounting of the platform by the
Republican candidate to assure the
public that the platform and its can
didate stood for downward revision.
1t is difficult to understand how
Mr.. Taft, if he had been a genuine
downward revisionist, could have
been responsible for the incorpora-
ton of this troublesome new feature
iof the protection document. A "rea-
sonable profit guaranteed under the
protective system ought to be enough
and unless it is removed from the
declarations of the party on that
subject, probably will be enough to
destroy the system. How are reason
liable profits to be measured? Who
shall be the Judge and how are they
to be estimated? Why is not the
guarantee of a reasonable profit an
insurance against bad business meth
DDS? How much better is this guar
antee, for example, than the guaran-
tee Of bank deposits by the state,
against which Mr.. Taft argued SO well
\ and effectively?? In fine, how are We
to escape the conclusion that Mr..
TAFT is not only now, but always has
been, more in sympathy with the high
tariff men, with the favored interests
than with the rising sentiment of the
country to the effect that protected
Industry largely fused inc trusts and
monopoly, has abused beyond suffer.
!, ance the advantages accorded on the
original theory that protection wal
; FIR <ho commnu honoAf
If. Mr.. Taft seeks to promote party
soliditary he is making q botch o.
the job by trying to defend the AL
drich tariff before the people Of thu
west as a good measure and as al
they had a right to expect. It is
libel on their intelligence to tell then
> that the bill is a compliance in a sat
isfactory degree with what they hat
beenaled to expect as the result of .
long wait for tariff reduction and re
lief from trust extortion favored b!
the tariff. We have seen the tempel
t of Minnesota Republicans tried a
{ this point before. An able and exper
fenced member of congress from tn.
Second district Of this state got on
of line with his people on the tariff
and undertook. to tell them, mucl
as Mr.. Taft has done, that they ough
( to let him form their opinions 70;
them on this subject, and that mem
) ber is out of office and has been TO
. four years.
The new progressive republicans
/ the old progressive republicans an,
{ 1.-THE republican primary league ar
scheduled to assemble in this cit.
during the week Of the corn palace t,
try and reach something of a definit
= - - a 49,