Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1910-09-01

have any protest against the present
outrageous rates Of duty.
Thoughtful mon, captains OF industry,
have seen for years, and are realizing
to-day that the protective system itself
is In Jeopardy: that these burdens of tax
alton arc not only too heavy upon the
greet mass of the people, but upon In
dustry itself
To-day we have the spectacle OF manu-
facturers asking for protection against
the protective system. | am with them,
bat I would be the Inst man to advocate
a sudden and abrupt change In sys-
TEN which would do harm or injustice
to any Industry, or the operatives EN-
ployed in that industry.
The Industries of this country have
been built UP and fostered In large
degree BY the so-called protective sys-
tenn: but It Is time to realize that be-
cause Of the protective corruption. condi-
tons are much the same IN this country
to-day as they were in England seventy
years ago, when the "Corn Laws' were
repealed The time has como when We
must repeal or take off all the duties
on food products and the necessities OF
life
We must also take the duty from raw
materials We are an industrial people,
and here in New England where we have
no great farming country. no rich mines
or cotton fields, we depend for our sup
port upon our Industries. We must safe
guard and strengthen these industrial en-
terprises at every point. and make them
successful.
Success fu industry in any section of
the country IS dependent upon two fun
iaincntal requisites: First. you must
have your raw material and by raw
material mean not only what goes in
| to the plant itself, but tho food and
| clothing and the necessities of life for
each and every operative, on as favorable
| n basis MS can be secured elsewhere.
Second. you must have the widest posi-
Bile market for the product.
| These two conditions we must have If
VIC are going to he in n position to COM
pete, not only IN the domestic markets,
but in foreign markets. If we arc to
have fiscal policy in this country which
destroys these two conditions. there is
surely cause for alarm.
The present tariff fosters trusts and
monopoly. II tends to stifle all honest
competition hero n home and prevent
the enlargement and growth of our for
eign markets. insurgency In every In
dustrial center demands n change that we
| may have n fair chance IN our domestic
as we'll as in our foreign markets If you
In Vermont would emphasize the need of
| this change. vote the democratic ticket.
THE TARIFF BOARD
What do the standpat republican lead
ers ask you to do? Senator Lodge in
his Somerville speech. on June 10Th said:
"The Republican party asks you TO
await the information of tho tariff board
so that when we revise one schedule OF
all the schedules we may do It intell-
gently and scientifically. and not by old
and wrong methods"
When the Payne-Aldrlch bill was un-
der discussion Senator Beverfdge pro-
posed to establish a real tariff comnis-
sion which would obtain information for
the benefit Of Congress. but this pro-
| vision was stricken out and Senator
| Lodge, who attempts to magnify the i'm
portance Of this board, and speaks about
its function to furnish Congress definite
and accurate information. is simply
drawing upon his Imagination. He can
not find anywhere in the act establishing
IT. or In the provision OF the sundry
civil bill maintaining It. any provision au-
thorizing the board to report to Congress-
or give 1t any Information whatever
This so-called tariff board Ia purely ar
executive creature, called into existence
by the President and subject to disnissa
at any moment. 1t can report to him
what he desires to know. and fail to re-
port whatever he does not wish t,
know.
II we had a non-partisan board per
| manens in its character, TO report tc
Congress and not to the Executive, We
would be able to take this whole oues.
ton out of American politics and place
II where II ought to be placed on ;
business basis, while schedules could bc
revised from time to time under re.
publican and under democratic admins.
trations, without tho employment Of log
rolling methods or the domination b,
monopolistic interests. for the benefit o,
the people This Is the solving of tn,
problem from business standpoint.
Had Mr.. Lodge advocated board OF
such character and standing, or com
mission to investigate the subject o
the difference In the cost of production
SO rs to carry out the platform adopted
by the Chicago convention, he woulc
have found many who would have az
sisted him to that end
He has already in his speech apologize
for the action Of the Republican part,
in ts failure to fulfill its promises" II,
admits that the system Of making tn
tartn Is all wrong. and says to tn.
people-"Wait until the board reports
and then we can take up the differen
schedules and modify them" In othe
words, postpone tho consideration of tn
question for two or more years.
Nobody believes for a moment that thi
board will be ready to make any repor
sooner than that, and It Is doubtful
whether they will be ready then. II (,
simply O scheme Of procrastinatton, de
lay and deception. for Senator Lodge a.,
crlbes to the board functions which
doesn't have In law thereby atte ,ptin
to fool the people and hoodwink them.
. The Republican party had an oppor
tunity TO revise the tariff Its leader
, said they would revise It In a certain wa,
so as to make the duties correspond 4
the difference in the cost of production
between commodities at home and abroad
with reasonable profit. They now ADM
their failure to have done so. The
evaded their pledges. They seek {
8 stifie the insurgency that voices tn, de
I mand of the people; for this demand 10
0 an honest revision OF the tariff is tn
q war cry of the insurgents. II has gaine
in volume so rapidly that some repre
n sentatves and senators have refused I