Newark evening star and Newark advertiser., 1910-09-15
Characteristic Hypocrisy.


Characteristic Hypocrisy.
The promise of revision downward
in the last Republican platform has
been kept with characteristic hypoc-
risy by revision upward, and with like
! hypocrisy it is now claimed that we
are living under the most beneficial
tariff law this country has ever known.
We are again hearing, as during the
last Republican campaign, and it's i'm
mediate predecessors. that if the per-
| ftbtion JIM tariff Legislation that has
been reached is to be disturbed by
| further revision, that revision must be
by the Republican friends of the tariff
and not by its Democratic enemies.
This is the old story of delay, and to
make sure that the delay will be sub
stantial we are being taught that no
scientific tariff is possible except
through commissions of experts.
We are to wait for reports by these
commissions, and to have tariff reform
on the installment plan, one schedule
at time. We must wait even for this
until the committee of Congress had
had time to promulgate majority re-
port that the high cost of living is In
schedule, and that even higher prices
for the food and clothing and fuel of
everyday life prevail in the Hottentot
markets, where clothing and fuel are
unnecessary, and in the Eskimo cenA
tres of trade where fish and furs are,
food and raiment. The hope doubtless
is that by these means the people will
be led to believe that no change at all
| is necessary and delay may be pro-
longed into indefinite postponement.
High Prices Continue.
In the meantime, of course, high
prices in these United States continue
and the monopolies,. without disturb
ance, further thrive on government
pap. On the one-schedule- at-a-time
plan. when do you think the consumer
who is oppressed by every schedule
will cease to enrich his oppressors?
And where shall beginning be made?
Will it be with the dress of babes or
the shrouds of the aged dead2 With
the axe of the woodcutter or the now
ing machine of the farmer?
Home Market.
In the meantime. too, while the home
market is monopolistically preserved,
the foreign consumer may, at lesser
prices than protection to the American
people can permit at home, procure
from the same factories many products
of American manufacture. What
triumph of philanthropy to scatter
among the nations of the world Amer
| ican-made articles at lower cost than
that paid by our own people!
We used to be told that the tariff
was not a tax; apparently it has-be-
come tax, not only to THE burden of
the home consumer but to the benefit
of the foreign consumer. And another
thing you will not fail to notice, that,
however much the colonel and Presi-
| dent Taft may disagree on other sub
jects, they are in complete accord on
the tariff and in unanimous support of
the delay, linger and wait plan.
If the people wait for the revision of
the tariff by our Republican friends,
whether their policies are controlled
by regulars, progressiyes, stand-pat
ters, conservationists, conservative pro-
gressives. progressive conservatives,
new nationalists, Outlookers or any
other of the divers sects now strug
Cling for mastery, the wait will be long
anu Tic itilSl llOLl ldIlll letA VI li4S
present generation will come only with
escape from mortal toll.
Fight Is Here.
But the fight Immediately before us
is within the State. and the present
duty is to the State, as well as to the
nation The State government has for
fifteen years been in the hands of the
Republican party, and although that
period embraces but five gubernatorial
terms, long practise in holding office
has enabled them to crowd in eight
executives with a service ranging from
twenty eight days to the Aull term of
three years. They have for tho whole
time with but single exception, when
the Assembly had narrow Democratic