The Paducah evening sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1906-1929, 1910-10-18
FRAMING THE TARIFF.


congress, the Wilson bill was passed
and that bill was a complete repudia
ton of the Democratic platform, and
the promise made the people. Tt
failure. the Democrats in every con
gressional district in America and In
every legislature, should elect mer
that they know will stand faithfully
by the party's promises and its poll
cies. The power and influence OF
wealth and OF those interests which
thrive upon special legislation, are
already at work within the Demo-
cratic party. and in anticipation
of Democratic victory, are preparing
TO secure the election of enough Dem
ocratic traitors, who together with
the Republicans. would again block
all measures OF reform and relief"
says the Kentucky State Journal.
We are interested in the State
Journals admissions concerning the
Wilson bill only to the extent of the
remedy it proposes.
What are the ''party's promises
and policies" by which the represent
atives can stand? They are not to
be sent to Washington to enact a
law. saying. I'VE hereby adopt the
tariff for revenue only policy for the
United States" The tariff is made
up of specific rates of duty placed
upon specific articles; and the rep
resentatives are expected &c
go over every rate on every
article and establish II as
1.-THE law. II isn't whether you call
lit Protective" or Revenue tariff;
It is the specific rates that affect the
country. And what promises has any
congressman made to the people. re-
garding any rate on any one thing?
How can he make promise? Here
are hundreds of representatives. from
hundreds OF sections OF the United
States. interested in hundreds of
kinds of enterprises. Not one in a
score OF them knows anything about
any one article of the thousands to be
scheduled, and. perhaps, not one of
them knows more than a half dozen
related articles. Not one constituent
of any congressman in a thousand
knows anything about any article to
be placed on the tariff schedule. How
can those congressman make prom
Uses about the tariff that amount TO
anything. or II they did. what would
their constituents know about the
wisdom of the promise?
II the Democrats are called on to
frame another tariff they will frame
II the way the Wilson tariff was
framed and the way Republicans
frame the tariff. Those representa-
tives, who favor special interests,
will pay no attention to any sched-
ules. excepting those they are inter
ested in and will unite their votes for
what they desire. Those. who have
only the welfare of the people at
heart. will be absolutely ignorant OF
the subject. with only their party
caucus to guide them. That fact was
brought out in the passage of the
Payne bill. when over half the DEM
ocrats voted for excessive rates on
certain articles. over half the Repub-
licans did the same thing, and the
others were gagged in caucus. That
is what was wrong with the Wilson
bill: that Is what is wrong with every
tariff bill that has been framed by
Republicans or Democrats.
II is hardly becoming for the Re
publicans TO say the Democrats are
iniquituoUs. or for the Democrats TO
say the Republicans are inlquituous.
when they both do the same thing
under the same circumstances. Some
thing Is wrong with the circum-
stances, don't you think?
Republicans and Democrats are
much alike: all human. al mostly
honest. when they can afford to be;
preferring right from wrong, but
usually finding out what is right, by
first learning what is wrong in the
customary manner OF acquiring such
knowledge. Republican or Demo-
crat. a man has to get knowledge on
a subject, before he can act intelli-
gently.
The editor of the state Journal
presumes TO criticize the Payne tar
if. We doubt whether he could name
a single rate of hand; or II so. could
tell whether It be wrong or why;
and if wrong. what specific rate
would be just, and why. We don't
look down upon the editor of the
State Journal on account of his ig-
norance; we don't know any more
about II than he does. Maybe we
both think paper ought to be on the
free list; but the fellow who manu-
features II thinks the tariff is too low
There you are. Who's right? We've
got to persuade the country on that
subject. and the most influential COM
bination in the country. the press.
has been unable to entirely dominate