The times and democrat. [volume] (Orangeburg, S.C.) 1881-current, 1910-11-19
The LEONARD and the Lamb.

mo politics in the new tariff
board is the way that Presiden!
Taft says he, will run it. The pres
ident may be- entirely honest in thus
trying to-. eliminate the tariff from
politics, but such a Jtopian idea is
as ungttainable as foretelling ths
way the wind will blow. The fact
that President Taft signed the tariff
bill because his party had passed it.,
although it did not redeem the prom
ises that he made previous to his
election, shows how partisan q mat
ter the tariff is and always will be.
Taxation is ever a partisan politi-
cal matter as long as the tax payers
are plundered for the benefit Of the
few, which is the design and intent
Of protection. Our civilization, ad-
vanced as it is, has not yet evolved a.
plan of taxation that would be equir-
able to all citizens. If the president
believes that the can make the tar
if leopard lie down with the bleat-
ing and taxed lamb while the pHin'
ciple Of protection prevails, he will
soon be undeceiyed. The lambs are,
of course, helpless as long as the Re-
publican party is in power, but they
will never stop bleating until the
leopard is muzzled and his claws are
cut.
In this matter of the tariff we
must be practical, Mt. Taft, and you
will find it not possible to eliminate
politics from your new tariff board.
Doubtless you can appoint men VINO
will do your bidding, but, with all
due Difference, that would bring
them to your level which is of neces-
sity quite partisan.
The tariff cannot be revised very
far downward by those who declare
that protection is a cardinal prin-
ciple Of the Republican party, and
that is what even the insurgents say
they stand for. If the tariff taxes
ended with the collection Of duties
at the custom houses there would be
a possibility of finding enough COM
petent men to act as the tariff board
and to agree on fair rates. Aay
tariff tax is protection to the home
producer, even on articles that are
On the free list. The transportation
and other charges for shipment from
one country to another protect the
home producer from competition to
Just the extent of such charges.
But very small proportion of the
articles consumed in the United
States is. imported, yet the price OF
the home products keeps closely to
The price of the imported goods OH
which the tariff tax has been paid.
Competition between the home pro-
1ucers has been eliminated on many
products by trusts. combines or gen
tleman's agreement" to keep up
prices, so that the price Of the home
product almost reaches that of sim
liar imported articles. That Is what
The people are complaining about,
Mr.. President, and from which they
seek relief.
For fifty years, with only very
short interim, these high protection
Tariff taxes have been imposed, and
he amount collected last year was
s294,667,O54 How much indirect
:arlff tax was on home products in
of protection is a mat
Ter of intricate computation. Ex-
oerts estimate that each family in
he United States pays directly and i'll
directly in consequence OF the tariff
IN average of SOS per annum, Of
which only SIG per family goes to
he government, while $S2 goes TO
he trusts, etc..
,How can there be no politics IN
he tariff issue as long as their plum
lering Of the many for the benefit Of
he few continues? Before the cleo
ion nearly every member of the
Cabinet was on the stump defending
he Payne- -Aldrich lazy in the most
PARTISAN manner; surely that hardly
indicates mo politics in the tariff
,oard.'