The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-16
TARIFF SPEECH
OPENS CAMP PA|GN
Senator Bradley Defends
Tariff and Administration
INSURGENTS ARE CRITICISED
IS
Those who A e the rarin Are Called
DemasogF the senator Who
Pays tribute To Taft
slP a'- r'''s'..
INSURGENTS ARE CRITICISED

| LOUSY August 15.-United States
Senator }. Bradley was the principal
speaker at the Fifth district convention
OF republicans tonight, which nominated
J. Wheeler MCGEE of Louisville for Con-
gress to oppose Swagar Sherley, the dem
ocratic incumbent, and former Mayor
Robert w. Bingham. for Judge of the
court of appeals to oppose Shackleford
Miller. Senator Bradleys speech marked
the real opening of the congressional
campaign In Kentucky. He paid a high
tribute to the republican party and the
administration of President Taft, and
referred to the fact that the deficit of
s58, 100000, which faceds the President
when he entered upon HIS term of office
had melted away and that there was now
| a surplus of $40, 900, 600.
| 1.-The tariff bill has brought prosperity"
said the senator. "and is rapidly bringing
more. The song of prosperity Is marred
alone by the usual discordant notes OF
democratic croakers and handful of in
surgent republicans who arrogate to
themselves all the wisdom and honesty
of the great party to which they claim
allegiance. Their purpose was to make
attacks upon their associates and thus
furnish campaign matter to our enemies.
They have had considerable encourage
ment in Kansas and Iowa, but when we
remember the records of these states on
| populism and greenbacks, how the repub-
| lican party was defeated by these
| heresies, we are not astonished at the
present condition of afYairs and we in
dulge the hope that their sanity will re-
turn in few years. as it did after their
former temporary alteration of intellect
No Question of Honesty
II do not question the honesty of the
| insurgents; they are all my friends and
possessed their splendid attributes; but
do question their judgment and the air OF
superiority they assume. The handful of
republicans who could not get everything
they wanted, voted against the tariff bill
and thus placed themselves In open oppo-
sttion TO the party majority and the
President. They have been persistently
furnishing campaign material for the
democratic party ever since.
MY amiable and able friend, Senator
Cummins lately quoted from Lincoln his
memorable remark that a government
part slave and part flee could not exist,
and wound up by saying that the exist
ence of the republican party depended on
making it all progressive. I object to the
use of the word Progressive, as en-
ployed by these gentlemen in describing
| their attitude. The republican party has
always been and Is now progressive. 1t
| Is the pioneer party which has blazed the
| way from the time of Its inception. 1t
| has accomplished all it ever undertook
| despite democratic opposition, and now
the opposition of a handful of disgruntled
republicans. 1t has been always 'progres.
| sive, and the man or set of men who op.
pose it are obstructionists who inevitably
| must go down In defeat" .
Charge of Demagogy
| Referring to the tariff and the charge
| that it was responsible for the high price
of foods, the senator said:
"The continued cry that the, tariff is
responsible for the high prices of food
is but blatant demagogy. Several resolu
| tions were introduced the last session of
Congress asking for investigation of the
causes of advances of prices, some by
republicans and some by democrats. One
of these was passed and a committee
headed by Senator Lodge, upon which
number of democrats as well as repub-
| licans were appointed, undertook the in
vestigation. 1t demonstrated that the
tariff had nothing to do with the advance
| of prices. For 20 years the tariff on this
class OF articles had been substantially
the same and can not have an effect now
| that 1t did not have Is years ago. The
price of food in Great Britain has in
creased steadily, and yet it does not have
protective tariff and is not affected by
immigration. Indeed, prices for food
have increased in every country in the
world.
| Increase In Gold
1.-The immense increase in the amount of
gold by which our standard of money is
regulated is one cause for the rise in
prices for the more good money you have
| In circulation the higher will be prices.
| But it is much better to have high prices
with good wages, increasing values and
general prosperity with more money In
circulation per capita than ever before,
than 1t Is to have low wages less money,
falling values and stagnation in business,
with low prices for food. I pause to in
quire who ever heard of high prices for
food under Cleveland's administration?
"But there is another cause of increased
prices of food that must not be overlook
ed Our grocers and butchers do not
practice economy as formerly, but expend
much for distribution. A grocerman or
butcher must have bookkeeper, tele-
phone, a horse and delivery wagon and
driver. Even the butcher. who former
| ly did his own work. most often employs
another to do 1t for him. BY the time
clerk hire, horse feed, repairs on wagon,
| Telephone bills, ETC., are paid. and losses
| in collections are considered there would
be nothing left for the proprietor IL
prices were not increased
I'm the last 10 years more than SO0O,-
600 of foreigners have landed on our
shores, 95 per cent of whom are non
producers They must be fed and hence
the supply is not sufficient to cause COM
petition in prices for all PRODUCERS can
| find ready market"