The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1909-04-14
G()V. HARMON
TALKS OF
TARIFF
At Annual Dinner ofNatiOnal
Democratic Club at Hotel
Savoy

New York, April 1S.-"Tho reduc-
tions in the pending tariff legislation
form nothing but mcckery of the de-
I mand for relief" asserted Governor
Judson Harmon, Of Ohio, in address to-
night at the annual dinner of the Ma
tional Democratic club at the Hotel
Savoy.
He insisted real relief never would
be secured except under congress
and executive finding Jeffersonian
rules and treating taxes as a means
of public revenue and not OF private
gain.
Governor Harmon protested strong
ly against what he termed the grow
ing encroachment of special privilege
at Washington, insisting that the
steady tendency since the civil war
has been to eXalt the federal govern
ment at the expense of the state, one
result being the neglect of economy
and the embarkation of the govern
ment into extravagant enterprises.
He instanced the action Of the last
congress In appropriating two billion
OF dollars and the raising Of salaries
of officials in the face Of growing
shortage and continued:
Now, instead of seeking methods Of
retrenchment. the president and con-
gress are divising additional taxes to
exact from the diminished means of
the people and are proposing to issue
bonds besides. State officials who
would propose such course would not
dare to go home to their constituents
and would be forever disgraced IL they
should take It,
"The wage earners, for whom there
Is the usual show of deep interest.
are not present or represented In the
pulling and hauling which is going on
so as to secure the advantages pro-
fessed to be for them. The increase
caused by the tariff will mostly go. as
it has always gone, to make unnatural
profit for the employer whose solicl.
tude for his workmen does not even
take the form of fair division Of the
spoils.
Some luckless interests whose pull
has grown weaker or has been over
come by counter pull like the wood
pulp paper trust, ,may.with great econ
omy, be annointed with the oil of sac
rifice for the salvation of the other,
but the reductions, when real, will be
a mockery of the cry for relief.
1T Is hardly fair for the Repub-
licans. at least. to charge with incon-
sistency Democratic congressman who
take a hand in this selfish scramble
In the last campaign, the Republican
candidate for President openly offered
share of tariff spoil for Democratic
votes. When special favors are the
order OF the day, 1t is natural for a
representative to think he ought TO
secure a share for the interests at
home.
why tax the people to build a
costly canal and secure ships for for
eign commerce while a tariff system
Is maintained to discourage or kill
foreign commerce except such as con
sists in selling our products abroad
for less price than are imposed on
our own people. What state govern
ment ever committed such folly?
Surely. instead OF the union dom
mating the states which compose it,
il would be better far II the states
would require from the central gov
ernment which their people establish
ed and maintained. strict observance
OF the same principals and practices
OF economy fairness and equality Of
rights and benefits which have always
prevailed in them. This can never
be under the rule of the Republican
party"
Governor Thomas r. Marshall of
Indiana. was another speaker. He de-
clared the general welfare" clause
of the federal constitution had been
perverted, distorted and made tho
mother OF evils untold"
Governor Marshall said the pres
ent tariff did not indicate an effort
so to adjust schedules that revenue
will be raised.
Rather, said he. ut indicates the
ravages OF a band OF hungry adyo-
Gates Of special privileges trying not |
to put money into the national treas
ury but into the pockets Of their share
holders"
The dinner was national in charac.
ter. number of prominent Demo-
Gratis from other states being present