The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-10-14
HON, FRANKLIN F. ELLSWORTH OPENED his CAMPAIGN
WITH STRONG REPUBLICAN SPEECH AT W|NNEBAG0

OF our CONSTITUTIONAL government as
was the British stamp act, which pre-
cipitated the American revolution.
1T is not in my mind iustifica
lion of too high rates that men can
pay the prices eXacted for commod
ity over protected and still by reason
of prosperous times thrive and accum
ulate. 1t is not question of whether
or not the prevailing condition is bet
ter than some other condition which
might prevail under different manage
ment. but il is question of whether
or not the rate as fixed, the law as
passed. is right and Just and equal to
all parties concerned
Need for Tariff Revision.
The American people are not salts
fed to have thing better than some
thing else, or to have things nearly
right They want things just right.
There is need for a revision of the
tariff. In my opinion some of the
schedules ought to be revised imme-
diately, at the next session of con-
gress, but even that is of less i'm
portance than another measure in re-
gard to tariff legislation. The essence
/ of tariff legislation is to know what
the rate should be in order to he equal
to the difference between cost of pro-
duction at home and abroad. There
are four thousand odd articles on which
under our recognized system we want
a tariff. No man in any line of
business is capable of compromising
what the cost of production is of a
! single article in this country, and in
each country in which similar ar
| ticle is produced. To do so would re-
quire n knowledge of the wage sched-
ule in each country, the cost of such
minute piece of material. the cost of
machinery, required to produce such
article. the wear and tear of such
machinery, the life of it, the capa-
city and efficiency of labor, and the
/ hundreds of details and minutia con-
nected with procuring material. and the
manufacture of the specific article.
Throes of Political Contest.
! Notwithstanding the immense min
utia necessary to have in hand before
the tariff can be revised intelligently
congress has been revising the tariff
downward. and revising the tariff up
ward, each revision being followed by
a mighty political discussion which has
! plunged the country into the
throes of political contest. BY the
very nature of the legislation, a
revision of each schedule if ii
essarily appears to prejudice the in
terests of an imaginary opposed class
! A purchaser of commodity upon
which the rate has been raised feels
that he has been Disseminated against
but does not give credit for the sched-
ule revised which must necessarily ben
eft him directly or indirectly in the
aggregate.
"The attitude of the two political
parties during an agitation for re.
vision of the tariff reminds me of tn,
incident Of the two Irishmen. Two
, lrishmen made. a wager; Patrick of
fered to bet Mike, that Mike couldn't
carry him to the top of four story
building in his hod. Mike accepted the
wager shouldered his hod, and Pat
hopeful OF winning his bet seated him
self in Mixes hod. Mike started III
the ladder, step by step, picking hi.
; way with caution. Patrick sitting il
the hod with his feet dangling owe
Mikes shoulders. At just the tor
; round Mike trembling and fatigued il
his anxiety to reach the goal falteret
for a moment, swaying back, but fin
ally catching himself by one hand or
the rung below, and with a suddel
lunge landed safely on top with Pat
rick safe in the nod. Patrick lost the
bet, but when they got on top anc
got ri9hted up, Patrick still hoping
broke out: 'Shure, Mike, did We ric
ollect the time thot We lost yer hole
on the last rung? All, Shure, and
thought | was goin' to win the bet.
Take Tariff Out of Politics.
''This is the attitude of our friend,
the democratic party when the repub
lican party, as is always the case
has the job of revising the tariff
They are sitting in the hod, hoping
that the republican party will LOST
their hold on the last rung.
+ + + + + + + I. 4. + + I. + + 1
The remedy is, then, to take I
, + the tariff question out of poll 1
e. nd 10 q