The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-03-08
LA TOILETTE WAKING THEM UP.

LA TOILETTE WAKING THEM UP
Senator La Toilette. in his weekly
magazine printed at Madison, Wiscon
sin, is taking much satisfaction in
pointing out the manifest breaches of
faith and inconsistencies in the acts of
the present administration and of Con
gress. In his latest issue he takes up
President Taft IS recent utterance in
which he completely stultifed his cam.
paign declarations as to the revision
of the tariff which was promised by the
Republican party. La Toilette quotes
President Taft now as eulogizing the
new tariff law and as saying that
nothing was expressly said in the
platform that this revision was to be
downward revision a sneak propo-
sition wholly unworthy of the President
or of any public man of reputation; for
the clear understanding of the people
was that the revision was to he down
ward, Further quoting the President.
Senator La Toilette presents this in
connection with the quotation from him
above gwen: "The implication that
it was to be downward, however, was
fairly given And upon that, La Fol
lette grows both sarcastic and statisti-
cal. showing that this proposition to
revise the tariff downward did not rest
upon implication; for it was definitely
promised by Mr. Taft himself in his
speaking campaign. in which he "made
his own platform. 1t is all the more
surprising, therefore, to find President
Taft denying his own former position,
and treating his personal pledges TO
the people on this question as a mere
implication
For President Taft at Milwaukee on
September 24, 1908; at Des Moines Sep
tember 26th, at Cincinnati September
22nd, positively promised revision down
ward. Senators Aldrich, Hepburn, and
others have heretofore claimed that the
pledges of Mr.. Taft, as candidate for
the Presidency, are not binding on the
Republican party. which was bad
enough; but for President Taft himself
to say that his pledges were not bind
ing, is so much worse that his state
ment to that effect might well appall
the American public.
La Toilette also grows sarcastic over
the Payne tabulated statement Of what
Injuries these being on all
hands conceded to be proper subjects
Of heavy import duties-always pro-
vided that they are in fact luxuries |
But TO class as luxuries such things as
cotton cloths, is something new. and on
this we find fine irony when La Fol
lette says;
"The Payne committees tabulated
publication of Estimated Revenues
adopted theory of luxury for the
American people President Taft has
IN his New York speech made that
,heory his own. We as a nation should
lvoid luxury; for, the books tell us,
luxury caused the decline Of Rome, and
las been the disease of nations through
nut historic time. Luxury is a dreadful
hing. We can afford as nation TO
make those who indulge their passion
or luxury pay the piper. Therefore
{ the revision is upward only on luxu-
les, and downward on necessities, we
nay not be able TO prove that it was
downward revision, but we may well
ease cavilling and let it 90 as a good
hing anyway.
"Tbe first luxury in the cotton
chedule is cloth mot exceeding 100
breads to the square inch, counting |
warp, and flling-uot bleached, dyed, ]
olored, stained, painted, OF printed, '
'alued at over cents per square yard. I
he next luxury is bleached cotton !
10th having 100 to 80 threads to the $
nch, and valued at over il cents per !
quare yard. The next luxury taxed
n tins schedule is the same cloth when {
yed. stained coored, painted, or I
rintcd, and valued at over 1212 cents l
er square yard. These things, oh. lux c
rious fellow citizens, must give the /
)ver of his country pause! Do not, let V
S implore you, indulge yourselves. nor c
our wife, nor your maid servant, in r
otton cloth costing over a shilling r
ard! These are luxuries-Presldent /
aft says so. He iustifies the Payne t
ldrich bill by saving So 1t is the n
My way TO justify it. Go to the store, f
humbled and rebuked citizen, ani p
NY clothing at less than l21a cents n
yard-and if you can't find any, in \
lis era Of high cost of living, the first t.
sh barrel will mayhap serve to send b
on home deccntly, if not comfortably. @
ut by all means avoid luxuries!D Il
N
SPEECHES IN THE RECORD. I,