Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1910-10-15

! whether be Is 70 be most admired FOR
his own personal energy In doins
things. or the diplomatic manner ia
which he induces others to aid him
The TariT and West Virginia.
You will observe that nave omit
( ted the tariff bill passed at the extra.
ordinary session which President
TAFT called almost Immediately after
his inauguration In compllancs with
the Republican platform. have re-
served it for the Last because 1 wish
ed to speak a little more al length
about it. The platform promised a
revision of the tariff to accomplish
three things:
F1rst-A minimum and maximum
tariff 30 that we could have a weapon
with which to compel other nations
to treat American shippers as they
do all others
Second To enact tariff law
which would protect American indus
tries, but in whose schedules there
should be no excess above that
amount Of duty required for protec-
ton.
Third TO raise more revenue to
meet the growing demands of the
people for governmental service.
The minimum and maximum pro
visions OF the new tariff law have
worked. Under those provisions and
hnt frI, A,,,f -
ton by President Taft, foreign ma
tions, many of whom formerly dis
eliminated against US, their best Gus
toners. have been compelled to cease
their discrimination, and are admit
ting our products on as favorable
basis an those of any nation in the
world.
The new tariff law has met the ex-
banding needs of the government for
more revenue. The economy of the
Taft administration and the excellent
revenue raising capacity of the
Payne tariff law have wiped out the
deficit The people of the country
generally do not perhaps appreciate
the extent to which they are making
demands upon their federal and state
governments for new and increased
service. Within the limits which
mention only one instance as illus
tratiye of scores OF others. The
rural free delivery service costs
thirty million dollars more annually
than 1t did when Mckinley was in.
augurated. Yet the people are insist
ent in their demands for new rural
free delivery routes, and there are
hundreds of applications for more OF
them always pending in the postoffice
department at Washington which
must be delayed for lack of revenue.
Not one penny of the revenue of the
government is Incorporated or
wasted and yet the people are press
ing every department of the govern
ment for additional public service.
Many Reductions Made.
lean perhaps best indicate what sort
of a revision of the tariff we made by
instancing the character of its reduc-
tons and its increases. We reduced
the duty on steel rails so per cent, on
pig iron from $500 to $3.50. on iron
. ore from 40 cents to Is cents, and
under our reciprocity provision, that
from Cuba will come in at IL cents
a ton. We reduced coal from 81
cents to As cents a ton, lumber from
$500 to s125 per thousand feet. Over
my protest, admit. we put hides on
the free list. reduced the duty on
leather. leather betting, etc. 80 per
cent reduced the duty on one grade
of shoes so per cent. and ON another
40 per cent. These two grades con
stitute all the shoes. While we did
not reduce the tariff on cattle. we
did reduce the duty on dressed meat
25 per cent. and on hams 20 per cent.
| have picked out these reductions be-
cause persons possessed OF more
power OF invective than vigor O. con
science have said that the trusts
dominate the framing OF a tariff law
and that increased prices of protect
ed products are due to the Payne
law.
Any of our critics who has the In
dustry and the honesty to do so may
verify by reference to the law itself
the figures which / have given show
ing that iron ore and other products
of the Steel Corporation and the
other large iron concerns were ire
mendously reduced that the prod
ucts OF the Beef Trust we're reduced
one-fourth, the farmers cattle in the
meantime retaining the Dingley duty,
/ that if there Is a Coal Trust. we re
! duced the tariff on coal; IL there is a
Lumber Trust we reduced the tariff
on lumber. Anyone who has been
asserting that the tariff is the cause
| OF high retail prices may go to the
! law itself and find out that | am cor
rect in saying that the Payne law
| placed hides on the free list. reduced
! the duty on leather 30 per cent. and
/ on that class of shoes which four
| fifths of us wear so per cent. He may
| then sit down and educate himself
/ - ~ a