Ladysmith news-budget. [volume] (Ladysmith, Rusk County, Wis.) 1907-1927, 1909-07-22

y
understood to be the promise of the
party to the whole people. He said
he felt that his position as the titular
head of the Republican party and as
President, with the whole people as his
constituency, gave him somewhat
broader point Of view than that of
single member of Congress in respect
to articles produced in his district. He
felt strongly the call of the country for
downward revision of the tariff with
in the limitations of the protective
principle, and he hoped to be able to
respond to che call as he heard it, as
well in the interests of the party as
of the country"
There is in the statement a sugges-
ton of a veto, but it is contained in
the manifest understanding of the
president that the tariff bill as it now
stands is a reputation of party pledges
and the very clear declaration that
those pledges were for revision down
ward.
In this the President takes sharp is
sue with Senators Lodge and Aldrich,
who have claimed there was no promise
of revision downward. He also makes
it clear that any proper application of
the protective principle would necess-
arily result in reduced duties in every
line of industry in which the ability of
domestic producers to compete with
foreign producers has been demonstra-
ted.
1t is in this connection that the Pres
ident gives greater cause for disap-
pointment for the more his statement
convinces that he has not changed his
views with respect for the need of
tariff revision, the more apparent it
becomes that he will be compelled to
accept the measure which can hardly
accord with those views in any partic-
ular.
To have permitted Aldrich to pursue
his work of traiff manipulation without
an indication of disapproval and to have
rejected every appeal made to him by
Senators and members of the House to
aid in making the measure the kind of
bill the public interests has at all
times demanded, only to enter the fight
now to obtain unimportant additions to
the free list, make the President, Pro
gressive Republicans declare, inconsist-
ent.
So the anti-Aldrich Republicans are
saying that in permitting himself to be
restricted in the fight for revision
downward to the very narrow field re-
presented by hides, coal, iron ore and
oil, the President has conceded all the
chief fruits of victory to the special in
terests represented by Aldrich.
All the provisions asked for by the
President were contained in the House
bill, and yet that measure was not
accepted as satisfactory revision, even
by the President.
Senator LaFollette had an important
interview with the President in regard
to the course which he should take on
the tariff bill before leaving for Wis
consin. In that interview he not only
urged the President to take stand in
favor of free hides, free lumber, free
coal, free oil and free iron ore, but it is
understood that he placed on file with
the President complete analysis of
the bill, showing in detail tho increase
In duty made in this bill as compared
with the present law and that the
bill is IN no sense a fulfillment of the
party pledges. The President was so
impressed with what Senator LaFollette
placed before him that it is understood
ne has directed the Treasury Depart
ment to make an examination of GER
tain of the schedules and report to him.
MIR. LaFollette also placed before the
President document showing the COM
parison of the bill as it finally passed
the Senate with the present law. The
figures in this document were prepared
by the Bureau of Statistics which is
under the Department of Commerce
and Labor and is recognized authority.
These figures showed that OH the basis
of the importations of 1907 the duties
under the Senate bill are not changed
from those of the Dingley law upon
$3.50, 106, 037 of imports, being 81. Is per
cent of the total dutiable importations.
That upon imports to the value of S149-
$50, 2l4 or 21.50 per cent of the total
the duty has been increased and that
on imports valued at $96, 1876, 024 or 13. IS
per cent of the total the duty has been
decreased. The total increase over the
present law is SGT per cent. The i'm
portance of the increase may be Judged
from the fact that the difference be-
tween the general average of the Will
son law and the Mckinley law was less
than per cent. The average increases
of the Senate bill are 81 per cent.
while the average decreases amount to
only 22 per cent. Much has been made
of the fact that the decreases affect
more items than the increases. But
this counts for nothing, as the increases
affect much larger voIumn of business
than do the decreases.
He Knew.