Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1910-10-13

Democrats are seeking to deceive
the people in the present campaign as
to the republican platform pledge of
1908 for a downward revision Of the
tariff, a revision that would equalize
the cost of production at home and
abroad, and are continually misquOt-
ing the president in unconditional APP
prevail OF the entire tariff law that be-
came effective in August, 1909.
People who are not familiar with
the facts, or who have not taken the
pains to keep them in mind, may be in
fuenced by this deception, but those
who have made it their business to
keep informed Of events know better.
They know, of course, that the repub-
lican platform of 1908 did make this
pledge, but it did not make it to be re-
deemed completely in one year, OF two
years They know, also, that Presi-
dent Taft, himself, admits that further
revision Of the tariff is necessary be-
fore the pledge is fully redeemed, and
that the party, under the president, is
committed to further revision
through the commission. Again, they
know that President Taft, himself, has
reiterated his disapproval of certain
chedules-particul that relating
to wooden goods-in the tariff law and
declared that improvement must be
made. The president has never at
any time given a sweeping endorse
ment of the tariff law in all its parts.
but has declared that as far as it
goes it is a substantial compliance
with the party's pledge and that it is
a distinct improvement over the Ding
ley law, which it supplanted.
The fact of the matter is, as the
democrats well know, that the present
tariff law has accomplished more Of
actual benefit to the varied interests
Of the nation than any tariff it ever
had, and yet if the republicans are re-
turned to power in congress the work
thus begun will be concluded and a
finished product Of tariff revision given
to the country. OF course, those vot-
ers who do not want tariff at all, un-
less all the protection to American
labor is revised out of it, may vote the
democratic ticket.
For democrats to argue that the re-
publicans have not kept the faith sim
ply because in one session of congress
they were unable to produce a perfect
tariff law free from flaws is captious.
The republicans did in one session
more than any party ever did before
in two And a really important point
which the democrats are careful to ex-
clude from their exhibition OF cant is
that what tariff legislation has been
enacted has been put into operation
without serious disturbance of general
business conditions, but, on the con-
trary, has improved all kinds of bust
ness. That tariff, too, has yielded
more revenue, has obtained the admis-
sion free of all duty abroad of more
American goods, has brought free into
this country more imports of neces-
saries of life than any other tariff we
have ever had and, more than that, it
has reduced average rates below, not
only the Dingley law, but below the
Wilson law, that last democratic tariff
denounced by the last democratic
president as "a piece of party per-
! fidy."
And If the voters do their duty at
the polls this fall they will endorse
what has been done in the direction of
downward revision and commission
another republican congress to go on
with the work, under guidance of the
tariff hoard