The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1909-11-13

to the extent Of repeating them. We Inust
have that much money, and we ninst ad.
Just our tariff schedules 20 as 10 raise II
with the least possible hardship. All tao es
are more or less burdensome. The tariff
tax has an element of equitableness thet
many other taxes do not have Ii is levied
upon consumption. The more wealth a IMAM
has the more he ordinarily consumes He
buys more clothes and better ones and
more OF everything else and thereby pays
g greater tax to the government.
Therefore, In readtusting this bill we
hrst lowered the duties on goods which
we purchase to the amount Of 81, 1851 ,sl3,
Ito, say In round numbers 5000 COO COO
annually. Then to meet the necessity OF
government we raised the duties on those
wines ana liquors and things which are
classed as Injuries and which we purchase
to the amount OF 637, 003, SAC. Then there
was slight raise on some Of the ordi-
nary articles which are neither wines, IL
quors nor Injuries to the extent Of $240,-
In other words, outside of wines, liquors
and luxurieg, where there was a raise OF
duty on 81 there was a reduction OF duty
on on S2o. II that It not satisfactory re-
vote OF congress pledged 10 a reduction,
l car. scarcely conceive what would be
Justification.
Nor IL this all. The raise on the 81 for
the most part was very slight, while the
reduction on $50 was very much more.
Should the gill Have Passed.
Ia the bill perfect7 Noe No bill Is ever
feet. In my opinion, for instance, there
should have been no luty on lumber or
coal. Some things, / tni1F, couId have
stood lower cutting witnput Injury. Some
things. think, should have been tribe
higher. I think there are solue few items
In both the cotton and wooden schedules
that might have been lowered without yio-
lattng the protective principle. But from
tlr standpoint OF reduction The hill was a
great Improvement over tic Dingley l.'ll.
l. was the only bill mat coud have passed,
considering all the great diversified In
terests Il great 20 lntry. Now. il We
could not get whole loaf, in my opin-
ioD It was our duty to get the fonr-hfths
of a loaf. Four-hfths OF a loaf 10 very
much better than no bread.
The Presidents Attitude.
Was President Taft's attitude In ref
erence to this tariff bill right or wrong2
He does not claim that the bill Ia perfect.
No ta1n bill could be perfect from any
one mans view. But he knew there was
demand for downward revision, and
this bill does revise downward, as while,
greater than any previous revision.
The president Of the United States Is
a believer In parties. He believes that the
best results for the nation can be secured
through party organization representing
principles and policies, with each party
ever watchful Of the other As president
he became the head Of the republican par
~. he believes the policies Of that party
are better suited to the needs OF this
country and that the partys supremacy
ial ssession for the purpose of passing a
tartm bill. He knew that failure to pass
BILL at this session would be disastrous
to that party. So he said to bis rePubli:
can friends: 'tGet o good tariff bill. II
your can't get a perfect one, get the very
best you can. Reduce as low as you can
consistent with protective principles, and
then pass It," To me and TO other mem.
s.R
fight for reduction of schedules. he said:
t'eGt the best you can In your committee.
When you can't get all you ask, get by
compromise the best you can and then
stay with ycour committee. ! VIII help
during consideration Of the bill and when
1t goes Into conference, when the two
houses have passed what the majority Of
each thinks Is best, / will then take an
active part In bringing about a settlement
of differences ON as close reduction plan
as possible" The president did that and
In doing SO he not only acted for what
was the best interest OF his party, but
what every republican must say. was TO
the best interest Of the nation
Suppose sufficient votes could not have
been secured to put that bill through.
What would have been the result9 We
rates with no telling when we would ever
pass a bill. A cloud Of uncertainty won d
have hung over every business interest In
the country, destroying confidence and
cAecElnK progress -.,f
The Bill passed and a new era Of pros
perity has begun which nothing In the
Immediate future can check. Every man
having In view the welfare of the eoun
try must admit that the president did right
in supporting this bill with all his power
full influence.
In the fnal vote on this bill 1t must be
remembered that the republican vote was
almost unanimous, only seven out OF six
ty-one members voting against IL.
Every republican member of the com
in honor bound to do aft securing the
mittee of course voted for 1t as he was
best he could. OF course those who were
not members Of the committee and who
had not compromised In order to report
the bill were more at liberty TO 0ffer and
vote for amendments than those who we e
members of the committee and had COM
promised each separate schedule.
OF those members who voted against 1t
each had his own particular reason W ich
to him seemed adequate. rObably some
voted against 1t, not that they believe 1t
was not a great Improvement over the
not go as far as they thought 1t ought to
go. In other cases the press had created
such an antagonism that whether they
thought II right or wrong they felt that
that had been thus created.
Attitude Of Senator johnson.
Death has removed Senator johnson
from the field Of activity In this world
1t was his intention to answer any crit
cism that had been uttered or published
against him. He closed his earthly career
before he had an opportunity to do that
AS his colleague and as his friend, / feel
that should say for him what ought to
be said In his defense. / saw him at Mi
not but short time before his death. He
was In excellent spirits. He said to me
in substance: ! intend to make some
speeches this fall any many more in the
primary campaign next spring. The great
city press which is dominated by the large
department stores, all Of which are Inn
porters and consequently for the lowest
possible tariff, have to some extent poison
ed the minds Of many people with their
unfair ana untruthful statements. / want
nothing better than to meet that issue. Z
cave right and truth on my side and they
always make any side easy to discuss with
men who want to know the right and
truth.
Mr.. johnson received at the fall pri-
mary 39304 votes, and they were all re-
publican votes. Those men had confd nee
In his honesty and In his general good
Judgment. / want to say to every one
of them that he was faithful to their in
Men may differ with Mr.. johnson on a
question Of policy, but no man on earth
can challenge his honesty and fidelity TO
what ne believed to be the interest OF the
people he represented.
He studied out each question and when
he became convinced which was the right
course nothing ever sweFved him from
it, Senator Johnson was not a novice in
the great political field. He was member
OF the committee on ways and means
which formulated the Dingley tarin bill.
We should remember that the same storm
OF assault greeted the Mckinley bill q d
from practically the same source. That
bill though It lost us one congress, as
soon as II was understood BY the people.
almost doubled our membership I'm the
next, and made Mckinley president OF the
United states.
bill.
In 1896 a storm for free silver swept
this country like q hurricane. Had q vo e
been taken two months before Ii was TAX