The Bon Homme County independent. [volume] (Tabor, S.D.) 1904-1913, 1909-07-22
PRESIDENT DECLARES
HE WILL INSIST ON
REVISION DOWNWARD
President Announces he Pro-
poses to Garry Out Party's
Promises. y

IregarueQ the republican PLATFORM as
meaning, and the sentiment of the
downward" eclipsed in interest all.
minor and specific details of the tariff
l~struggle In all circles here today.
" The statement issued late in the day
after a delegation Of congressman had
appealed to the president for the main
tenance OF protection upon raw ma,
~terials, particularly iron ore, wool,
hides, oil and lumber, purported to be-
an outline report Of the discussion
which took place during the visit Of
the delegation and especially Of what
the president said to the visitors; but
the very fact that such a statement
was issued at all, and in particular
the emphatic conclusion Of the re-
marks Of the president thus reiterated
made II clear to all who studied the.
ipronouncement that the president In,
tended 1t virtually as an ~ultimatum.
Many read into the statement a barely
concealed threat on the part of the
president that IL the bill reached him.
In o form which he regarded as I'M
faithful to the promises Of his party
and disobedience to the sentiment Of
the mass Of the people he would veto
IL.
Few OF the prominent members of
either house of congress would discuss:
the statement for publication, and most
of the u~tterances intended for quota
/ tion were of q perfunctory character,
Ebut in confidence nan talked freely,
and some OF the conservatives very
bitterly. Some went so far as to say
that the presidents stand e moth
ing less than the defeat Of the bill.
One mar said: Now the standpatters
will become the insurgents, the lines
will all have to be reformed and no.
body can forecast the outcome"
Those less excitable inclined to the
view that the president a simply
! made a long foreseen move essential
to the logic Of the game" and that 1t
would mean the speedy dissolution of
the opposition to downward tariff re-
vision and the termination Of the long,
J fight with the bill at last in the presi-
dents hands substantially as he has
all along intended 1t should be.
4 Increasingly, the White House state
ment Is regarded as In some sort an
informal message to congress- at a.
critical t%uncture such "a Mr.. Roose-
welt often chose for many Of his d.
rectly addressed messages. It is con-
coded even by the most bitter Of the
far Of hands Off" Mr.. Taft has at,
tanned a position of enviable independ-
ence, and that he has chosen an ad-
vantageous moment when each house;
of congress has fully discussed the
question and placed itself Enthusiastically
on record, and their joint product is in,
the hands of q conference committee to;
present his views not only generally to-
the people, but specifically to those who.
are in q position to act decisively on.
the subject matter.
The general feeling today was that
the presidents procurement would
inevitably have a profound effect, not
only Immediately upon the conference
committee, but in the time Intervening.
before the final vote in the two houses
On those representing both wings Of,
and especially Of the republican ma
1ority, whose Official action now and
whose political future after they go.
HON Is so deeply involved in the out
come.
The presidents statement follows:
! Mr.. Young, of Michigan. opposed free
ore; Mr.. Mondell opposed free coal or
reciprocity with Canada and free hides,
each on the ground that the policy would
discussion was participated In by other
representatives. who urged that the doc
trine OF free raw materials was not q
The president. replied that he was not
committed to the principle OF free raw
materials, but that he was committed to;
the tariff which he had promised. and.
that he was obliged to look at the matter
not from the standpoint of any particular
district, but from the standpoint Of the
whole country, and also from the stand
point of responsibility for the entire re-
publican party. He said the question In
each case was q question Of fact to be
determined by evidence. as to whether the
present duty was needed for protection or
whether the rate was excessive 80 that
a downward revision, or putting the ar
ticle on the free list, would not inJure the
industry.
He repeated the platform Of the repub-
Hcan party and said that he had under
stood II meant a downward revision in
Y0anU InGfRn0aa fhnII0h nnrhn~a In aANan
few cases an increase might be needed !:
that he reached this construction Of the
platform on what he understood to be
~hcation, namely. that after an Industry
was protected by a duty equal to the diff
ference between the cost OF produc-
this country. Including a fair profit to the:
manufacturer, the effectiveness Of Ameri-.
can labor and the ingenuity OF American
investors under the Impulse Of competi-
the cost OF production, and that with the
reduction In tho cost Of production the
tariff rate would become unnecessarily
"This wa the normal operation Of the
tariff a. claimed by the defenders OF
the protective systsnn-not m every case,
S SSt ss a q gs ne .a rais- sSaia Of not s' Ss e.r =
tencies. but Insofar as his influence went
wsS .S Ssil lss. SRSS to act Sori r % connection ssE
~ az ~ WAN w
In the direction Of performing the prom
Uses Of the party az he understood them;
and that II Iron ore and OIL and coal and
hides did not need protection, and the
conditions wero such as to enable the ore
producers and the oil producers and the
producers Of hides TO compete success
fully. without reduction Of wages. with
the producers from abroad, then they did
not need q duty and their articles should
go on the free list. It was o question Of
fact which he hoped to make up his
mind with respect to on such evidence as
was available to him In order to carry
out what he understood to be the prom
ises Of the party to the whole people. .
He said he felt that his position as the
as president gave him q somewhat broad
or point of view than that Of q single
member Of congress In respect 10 articles
produced In his district, He felt strongly
the call Of the country for q downward
revision within the limitations Of the
protective principles and ne hoped to be
able to respond to that call as he heard
It. as well IN the interests of the party
aa 80 Nha ao,.pkrHt