The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram., 1910-04-05

dJ lIQ1d
again to turn over to the government
the millions of dollars taxes it an
nually was collecting from the people
and to take from the trust its coupon
system, which is its most powerful
weapon for crushing competition. the
Democrats Of the senate voted solidly
against it. After the senate had pass
ed that amendment and it went to
the conference committee, that body
mangled it and gave back again to the
Tobacco Trust its coupon system.
All these things and many more
the bill contained when it came to
passage. Passing bill does not sane
tify the wrongs of its separate para
graphs. fought and voted against it
and for what believed was plighted
honor. fought and voted against
excess and for protection. I fought
and voted against the interests and
for the people. fought and voted for
the genuine Republicanism of Lin
coin, the founder OF our faith: OF
Morrell, the father of our tariff of
Garfield, the interpreter of our prin-
ciples; of Mckinley, the apostle of
protection: of Roosevelt, the captain
of the great modern movement for
righteousness in American govern
ment and American life.
When first I was chosen as the peo-
pies senator, IL years ago, / said,
speaking to the legislature that elect
ed me: ''The people only are my
masters, and to the people will be
true" That has been my platform
since-that is my platform today.
And when that is no longer my plat
form I will voluntarily hand back my
commission to the people who gave
it.
But assuming that honest differ
ences of opinion exist-and they do;
giving to those upright men who voted
for the law as a whole all the credit
which claim for myself; what is the
way out of the difficulty? Surely
not to turn the government over to
that grotesque band of politicians in
public life and who want to get into
public life who misrepresent the
Democratic party. The people know
what such men did in the tariff con-
test in Clevelands day, for which
Cleveland rebuked them; what they
did in the last tariff contest, for which
Bryan rebuked them. What honest
Democrat-what honest citizen-ap-
proves or trusts them?
Where, then, lies the plain remedy?
In a tariff commission.
Three years ago l presented to the
senate a bill creating such commits
sion. That idea had back of it at
that time more manufacturers, more
stock-raisers, more farmers, more of
all the producing interests than any
similar measure ever presented to the
nations legislature. Yet in that body
at that time it had no one single
friend; and every Democrat was it's
enemy.
Events have changed all that. The
tariff debate changed it. The change
became SO great that a member of
the finance committee itself. Senator
; McCumber of North Dakota. declared
in a powerful speech that this ques-
tion never could be intelligently or
justly settled except by the aid of a
: tariff commission. Yet every Demo
crat senator except Senator Newlands
; remains it's enemy.
, A tariff commission is the one great
piece of constructive legislation the
nation needs and demands to settle
the tariff question. 1t is wicked and
} absurd that the interests of all the
} producing elements of the country
[ manufacturers, farmers, stock-raisers
{ merchants, workingmen and others
: should longer be mere cards played
> by politicians for their own political
l advancement and pecuniary welfare.
Every modern country has estab
, lished a tariff commission. 1t was by
? a tariff commission that Germany
: built her remarkable tariff. It was
by tariff commission better ever
/ than Germany's because they have
4 travelled all over the earth. that Japar
> is readjusting her tariff duties. 1t i.
by tariff commission paid for ou
. of the pockets of English manufac
. turers that the United Kingdom i.
? preparing for the inevitable abandon
a ment of her free trade policy>and join
0 ing the company of nations as an in
= telligent protective country.
= All the modern world has copies
: us in tariff policy-yes, hut the mod
s ern world, led by Germany, has pro
v gressed beyond us in the establish
> ment of tariff commissions. The,
Il would not have progressed beyond u
l. had we studied the tariff as they did
t as an economic and business problem
Y But We have let politicians make u
e do their bidding instead of making
l. politicians do our bidding.
q But the time for that is past
quality of public men is now appea,
) ing in American political life VIII
n study questions on their merits in
d stead of playing politics for profit
l. And the supreme question before tn
j. voters of Indiana this fall is whethe
h or not Indiana will stand for the ne,
e order of things or continue the oil
methods which politicians Of both pal
S ties have used and are still trying t
/, use for their own ends and the pei
} pies undoing.
G. We have the bureau Of corporation,
S bureau of labor. an immigratio
ff commission, monetary commission
d to gather the facts on all these sui
o. iects-yet all these facts mt tneefl