The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1910-09-01
TAFT AND THE TARIFF.

/
discouraging causes, lad under.
gone a change Of heart to the OK.
/ tent that he would give out a state.
ment favoring tariff revision in a
measure. But his expected letter
tOr campaign use has made It's
appearance, aud as far rs he goes
is, that if u tariff commission which
he had heretofore recommended,
but which has never materialized
nor is likely to, should call his at
tention to anything wrong with
the tariff he would call the atten-
ton Of Congress to it. But it is
evident that he doesn't relish any
tinkering with the present tariff
even in the way of revising a single
schedule. lie stands, as he and
the standpat wing of his party has
stood all the time, for the Special
Privilege benefciaries of the tariff
1t is very evident he doesn't want
the tariff question opened up in
any way during his administration.
In this connection it may be well
TO call attention to President Taft's
real opinion Of the unjust and per
lnicious Payne Aldrich tariff law.
Last September, in Il speech at
WinOna, Iowa, he said:
This is the best tariff bill tho
Republican party has even passed,
and therefore the best tariff bill
that has been passed at all. o."
President Taft reiterated this
sentiment on several subsequent
occasions, notably five months later
in his New York Lincoln Day
speech. But that isn't the worst.
In that same Winona speech he al.
so gave utterance to this pernici.
Gus sentiment:
/ believe the interests of the
country, the interests of the party,
required me to sacrifice the accom-.
plishment of certain things in the
revision of the tariff which | had
hoped for. in order to maintain
party solidarity, which | believe to
be much more important than the
reduction of rates III one or two
schedules of the tariff"
That's it-Presideut Taft be-
lieved then that party success was
more important than any interest
the people might have in relief
from a burdensome robber tariff.
Nor is that all. In his Wiuona
speech he virtually declared that
the Republican party is dominated
and controlled by the Special Priv
ilege fav0rites of the tariff to such
an extent that it couldn't pass any
other sort of tariff law than 1t did.
Hear what he said on that point,
1t was found early in the fight,
however, that the wool and wooden
manufacturing interests in the Re
publican party were so strong,
that any attempt to change the
Dlngley rate would result in de.
feat of the bill. am sorry that it
is SO, and wish it could have been
otherwise. "
The same condition exists in the
Republican party to-day that ex-
listed when Mr.. Taft made this hu.
initiating confession at WiuOna
just one year ago. Not only the
wool and wooden manufacturing
interests, but all the trusts that
are profiting by the tariff, hold an
ownership i'll the Republican party
that forces it to do their bidding.
President Taft is as much in the
clutches and power of the Special
Privilege favorites of the tariff as
the balance of his party. They
couldn't do anything if they would,
and they wouldn't if they could,
for the relief of the people, for
doesn't Mr.. Taft say that it is
much more important to maintain
party solidarity than to give them
such relief.
What difference would it make
if Mr.. Taft were to announce that
he favored revision, he would not