Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1909-07-02
shattering President Taft's Views.


follows very closely on the heels Of
the great Senatorial Boss of Rhode
Island in declaring that the republi-
can party is not committed to a re-
vision Of the tariff downward. Mr..
Depew comedies, at any rate, that the
party is committed to a revision up
wards. The people want the revision
downwards. The trusts want the up
ward revision. The exegeneies of the
present situation, from republican
standpoint, requires revision of pop
ular sentiment and some of our re-
publican leaders at Washington are
very energetic at the task of turning
the public mind to the belief that the
people never had pledge or a prom
Use that the tariff would be reduced
at this special session of congress or
at any other session.
The necessity that impels Mr.. Al
drich, Mr.. Depew and other of the re-
publican tariff trainers to start this
back fire is found in the public cry
against the present tariff bill. The
average citizen has reached the con-
cluslOn that he is going to be cheated.
he looked for a lessening of the cost
OF living; he sees it increase. And
we cannot believe the speeches of Mr..
Aldrlch and Mr.. Depew are entirely
honest in their Interpretation of what
was promised the people in the last
campaign. About one month ago, the
Hon. Knute Nelson, Senator from
Minnesota, and ardent republican, ex-
planned to the senate that the action
of some of his republican colleagues
of the "stand pat" school was not
entirely to his liking. In the course
OF an address delivered on the floor
OF the senate on April 80, he said:
"Since my brief remarks the other.
day some of the senators have private
ly taken me to task and said that I
am free trader. Well, do not mind
that insinuatiOn coming from an OBJ
durate 'stand-patter.' As expressive
of my sentiment and as warrant for
my attitude with respect to this sub
Ject | beg leave to quote as q text
the following portion of the remarks
OF President Taft on December 16,
l9O0, in a speech delivered in New
York. This is what President Taft
said:
1 believe that the way to stamp
out trusts and monopolies is to avoid
excessive rates which tempt monop-
oles. 1t would be better to have no
revision at all unless we are going
honestly and fairly to revise the tariff
on the basis promised by our party"
Senator Nelson followed up that
quotation by saying that for several
years the people of the great North
west-the upper Mississippi valley
have been looking forward to a revis-
ion of the tariff; and whenever thew
refer to a revision of the tariff.
they mean revision. downward and
never a revision upward" Further
he said: "What endeared Mr.. Taft
to the people of the Northwest, what
made him so strong among our people
was the fact that even year before
he received the nomination for Pres
ldent, in speech he made somewhere
IN the eaSt-I do not recall the place
he came out sQuarely in favor of a re-
vision and reduction of the tariff.
Our people in the Northwest accepted
that as his gospel, AND THAT FACT
MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE
made Mr.. Taft near and dear to the
people of the upper Mississippi Val
ley"
Thus we have it from no less a dis
tinguished a parsonage than Presi-
dent Taft, both year before he was
nominated and since he was elected
President December ICY that a re-
vision downward is what he has tried
to impress upon the people as his
views of the tariff question. And we
find the distinguished Senator from
Minnesota impressing these facts up
on his colleagues not later than a
month ago
We will swear another republican
witness, equally distinguished, as to
what the republican party has prom
ised the people. The Hon. Peter J.
McCumber of North Dakota, United
States Senator. In the ssenate cham
Der on May LIST, Senator McCumber
made the following statement:
Tariff revision this year is uni
versally understood to mean revision
downward. THE PUBLIC EXPECT
AND HAVE A RIGHT TO EXPECT
FROM EVERY PUBLIC ADDRESS
MADE IN THE LAST POLITICAL
CAMPAIGN THAT THERE WILL
BE A GENERAL REDUCTION IN
OUR TARIFF DUTIES. Why?
Because they understood and believed
as a rule, that the Dingley tariff was
altogether too high and that rates.
counld be reduced on may articles
without serious injury to the protect
ed business. So the public. / think,
reasonably expected from all the ar
guments that were made during the
last campaign that, generally, the
revision would be downward"
The emphasis in the foregoing j.