The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-10-27


compelled to work long hours amid un-
sanitary surroundings, and when it was
proposed to work a reform this spirit
Of greed opposed the movement on the
ground that If the children were with
drawn from the factories men and
women would have to be put In their
places and 1t would be necessary to ad-
vance the prices of goods--as IL the
American people would pay any at
tention to advances which grew out of
bringing about better conditions for
boys and girls.
Laws on these various subjects we're
passed, but still greater things remain
ed to be done. 1t is customary, he said,
for men to use some sort of symbol to
designate their acts. Because of this
tendency certain policies have come to
be known by the name of a great lead
er who aroused the national conscience
and aided in crystallizing public opin-
ion on these policies, and so we have
come to talk Of them as the Roosevelt
policies. These were republican poll
cies, and it was good republicanism to
maintain them. But in the effort to
maintain them, trouble began when a
year and a half ago the reactionary
spirit with the party tried to secure
control of the situation, TO cause the
party to retrace its steps and to turn
back the hands Of the clock Again
a symbol was needed, and as the name
of the great leader of the progressive
movement had been given to the poll
cies for which that movement was in
augurated, so the names of other lead
ers We're used to typify the reactionary
movement and men began to talk of
Aldrichism and Cannonism.
For fourteen years the spirit of pro-
gress had been trying in vain to get
possession of the democratic party
Eighteen months ago the reactionary
spirit made desperate struggle for
control of the republican party. There
was but one weapon which it could
use with any prospect of SUGGESTIVE
tariff-and that weapon was brought
into play. BY means of it, and through
the vast influence which it could be
made to exert on business interests in
various states it was possible to in
fluence many of the members of con
gress. The power of the organization
was exerted in the handling of the
work of important committees and
desperate and for time an apparent
ly successful effort was made to put the
reactionary element in actual control
to show the progressive element as the
minority, and the reactionaries as ac-
tually the republican party itself.
Regarding Tariff.
The speaker recognized but one cor
rect method of 4 g a tariff. 1t
ShOnld he levied i, a Y11annar
to equalize the difference between the
domestic and the foreign cost of pro-
duction when such difference existed.
That was the protective policy The
man who demanded a smaller tariff
than that was free trader, and the
man who demanded more was a mo-
nopolist,
The progress of industrial develop
ment was traced, and the effects of
the growth of the factory system on
labor were outlined, and the speaker
showed that, as the prosperity of our
industries is essential to the welfare
of the nation, it was improbable that
the American people would ever tear
down the protective tariff save as
last measure for the punishment of
those who have abused it. To show
how general is the recognition of the
need for protection it was pointed out
that even the democratic congressman
who insists on a tariff for revenue only
is always found insisting that this tar
iff be collected in duties levied on arti-
cles such as are manufactured in his
own state.
The situation he said, had changed
from the time when there was free
competition. Then it mattered little
what the rate of duty was. There was
a time when with duty of 7% cents
a yard on certain grade of cotton
cloth that cloth could be bought in this
county for IL cents a yard, a quarter
of cent less than the duty. Nails
could be bought for a less price per
pound than the duty, and barrel of
salt, barrel and all, could be bought
for less than the duty the salt alone.
The reason was that competition
among domestic producers kept the
prices down to legitimate basis. With
the disappearance OF competition all
this was changed And it then became
necessary to restrict the tariff within
such limits as would supply the pro-
lection that was needed, and at the
ton against extortiou. The true basis
of protection is that which is set forth
in the republican platform. namely, the
difference between the domestic and
foreign cost of production, to which |
the platform had added the reasonable !
profit for the manufacturer" The
speaker said that though 1t might |
sound somewhat undignified for sem
ator to use the expression, he was free
to confess that this last qualification |
was tommyrot
Mecumher's Amendment.
Now, If 1t is good republicanism to |
base the tariff on the cost of produc- !
ton, 1t Is good republicanism to find |
out what that cost is. and that is ex-
actly the purpose OF the tariff commits !
sion. In the effort to efeat this plan |
the reactionary force for the first time |
made itself felt. The power of AL |
drichism was shown among other |
things in the handling Of the lumber
schedules, by means of which there
was enacted one law for Maine and
another for Minnesota, and when Sen
ator McCumber introduced an amend |
ment lowering the duty on lumber there |
WEI - SlALCSIl dGlllO1iub @SSndLOIS VINO |
could at any time have broken the
force Of the Aldrich powed who refused |
to do So
The tariff bill was passed. and the
progressives failed to get a tariff COM
Yet year later they had |
been able to force the reactionaries to
consent to an appropriation of $3.50, 900 |
for the expenses of commission. and |
the country would be informed as to |