The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1910-06-10
DEMOCRATS MAKE
POOR SHOWING
HAVE HARD WORK TO MANuFAc-
TURE ANYTHING LIKE GOOD
CAMPAIGN MATERIAL.
PARTY RECORD IN THE WAY
spouters Loudest In Condemnation OF
the New Tariff Law Have Nothing
to Say Of the Wilson-Gorman
Measure, So Disastrous
to the Country.

hington.-Democratic leaders In
congress are now making campaign
material. To be sure, 1t Is not very
good material. but the best obtainable.
A party without record. or whose
small record is so bad that 1t cannot
be defended, is not in a very strategetic
position when II comes to speech ma
king for campaign purposes.
The general point Of Democratic
attack is the tariff, and yet we cannot
find in a single speech any reference
to the only Democratic tariff law of
the past half century. There Is no
allusion whatever to the conditions
of business, of labor. or capital, under
the operation of the Wilson-Gorman
law.
Champ Clark, Underwood, Sulzer,
Byrd, Borland and the two new acct
dental members. Havens and Foss,
made long and studied attempts to
condemn the present tariff law, but all
sang much the same song All these
protective tariff haters had a good
word to say for the tariff Of 1876 and
1857, which brought such disaster to
American industry. None Of them.
however, had a kind word to say for
the Wilson German tariff. but all were
quite sure II they had the opportunity,
they would revise the present law so
far downward that the American con-
sumer would be able to buy anything
he wanted from any part of the earth
as long as he had anything to buy 1t
with.
The Democratic tariff talker does
not seem to realize that when we open
our ports to the importation of cheap,
foreign made goods. that an equiva-
lent amount of American made goods
must always be displaced, and that the
result must be a closing of our factor
les and millions OF idle men. Some Of
these Democratic orators, II not all,
would increase our free list SO as to
include lumber, wool and woolens. cot
ton goods. agricultural implements,
boots and shoes. and all other products
OF leather, and hundreds of other
products which could not be made in
this country without adequate protec-
lion. This would soon mean putting
American labor on the same level with
that OF the poorest paid countries
abroad. 1t would mean that we would
have to compete not only with CONT
rental Europe. but with Japan and 9TH
er Asiatic countries.
Republicans State Facts.
While the Democrats have been
making pleas on these lines, such Re-
publican leaders as Payne. Fordney,
Boutell, Hill. Longworth. Mckinley,
Hamilton, Townsend. Reeder, Camp.
bell, Young and many others have been
contendlng that the present tariff law
is the best that we ever had or at least
she best that we could get, and that
under its operation both from reve.
nue. and industrial standpoint, the
country is reaping such benefits as we
Dave never before enjoyed.
1t is interesting to compare these
Democratic and Republican speeches.
The Democratic speeches are Of course
entirely negative. excepting where as.
sertions are made as to what the party
would do IL il had the chance, but
there is no mention made of what 1t
did do when 1t did have the chance.
On the other hand, the Republican
speeches are filled with tables OF fig.
ures, with the records of commerce,
with the amounts of revenue, with the
increased number OF those employed,
and tho inoraacpd ua0ao uhich haua
come under our new law. The Demo.
cratic orator claims that prices have
been raised because of the tariff; the
Republican orator tells us in reply that
the tariff was reduced on every article
upon which the price has been raised.
These speeches which were made
while the sundry civil appropriation
Lll was under debate prove that the
tariff Is to be one of the principal is.
sues OF the campaign. or rather not
the tariff question so much as the dis.
cussion OF the results OF the operation
of the law under which we are now
living
OF course. when 1t comes to this
point. the Republicans have a far bet.
ter argument; in short, the Demo
Gratis have no argument at all, because
no one can conceive how present indus.
trial and financial conditions could be
bettered under any revision that could
be brought about by the Democratic
party.
1t is believed now that the session
will be prolonged until after July /,
but that the result will mean the pas
sage of several very important bills
and the enactment of most beneficent
legislation. There seems no doubt
whatever but that the railroad bill will
be passed and receive the Endorsement
OF almost the entire Republican vote In
both houses. as well as the approval
OF the president. II seems, too. quite
likely that a postal savings bank law
will be enacted. AS to the rest of the
legislation pending. 1t is too early to
predict, but already 1t is safe to as.
sumo that the work OF the first con-
gress under the administration Of
President Taft in ITS special and first
session will DO equal to. If not exceed.