The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1909-11-04
HAS THE PRESIDENT
BEEN BUNCOED?

erS Mail and Breeze, the writer, I. A
McNeal, being a strong Republican
and an original Taft man. EVER
farmer should read If.
1t seems to US that any person who
has made reasonably careful, i'm
partial study of the tariff law passed
by congress at the special session
must have read the recent speech o.
the president at Winona with a feel
ing, to say the least, of profound
establishment.
To begin with, the speech has q
number of statements in il that il
would puzzle the defenders of Mr..
Taft to reconcile with each other. In
one sentence he declares unqualified.
~ that the new tariff bill is the best
that ever was and in another sentence
he admits that he can't tell how the
blamed thing will work until after il
has been tried. In one sentence he
seems to rather praise the Republican
members of the senate and house
who voted against the bill on its final
passage on account of their independ-
ence, and in another he virtually
reads them out of the party on ac-
count OF their independent action.
In our opinion the president never
made a speech that was so defective
in logic or that showed such lack of
original investigation. He talks like
a man who feels that il is incumbent
on him to defend this law as a special
advocate rather than discuss il i'm
partially at the head of the nation.
God knows the law needs a defender.
We have heSitated heretofore to ex-
press an opinion in regard to this law
because we did not feel that we I'M
derstand enough of its provisions to
give fair opinion. We have now,
however, examined it with consider
able care. We have read the opin-
ions of various experts who have ana
lyzed section by section its provisions
and we now say unhesitatingly that
if, as the president says, this is the
best tariff that has ever been enacted
then the Lord help the worst.
The United States will prosper no
doubt even under this law, for the
reason that our resources are so enor-
nous and the natural opportunities
and abilities of our people are so
great that they will prosper under al
most any sort Of legislation that can
be enacted. But the more we study
this law the more convinced we are
that it is one of the most stupendous
bunco games that has ever been play.
ed on the American people.
1t not only does not redeem the
promise that was made to the people |
for substantial reduction in the
tariff schedules, but its authors enter
ed into conspiracy to deceive and
defraud the consumers of this great
nation. Their methods were those of
the faker with his three shells, who
robs the unwary by making him be-
lieve that the little ball is under one OF
shells, when, as a matter of fact, it is
deftly concealed under his fingernail
or in the palm of his hand.
In the very schedules where they
pretend to make a substantial reduc-
ton, by cunningly devised phrases
and obscure classifications they have
raised the rates of duty, at once de-
privlng the government of any proba-
bility of revenue and by honest sub
terfuge have added to the profits of
greedy monopolists and laid addition
al burdens on the backs of the toiling
poor. The more we study this bill
the more we are convinced that ii is
the acme of legislative dishonesty and
political perfidy.
Cotton goods are worn by every
citizen, but cotton is especially the
cloth that covers the bodies of the
poor. The Dingley law placed cotton
goods whether mercerized or not I'M
der the same duty. Maybe you don't
understand what "mercerized means.
We own up that until recently we did
not. We must credit this internal
law with one thing and that is that it
has added a little to our stock of in
formation. You have no doubt no.
ticed in cotton goods sometimes bright
threads. Well, those kinds of goods
q ra Nrporoar,,ad - Tbo ,,,on,,e,al,.