The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1910-05-25

| if upward on finished articles, the
| difference between the values of i'm
portations of dutiable and free goods
will inevitably increase. and the av-
erage rate of duty collected will de-
crease, even though no new articles
are put on the free list. For example,
| if the rates on all articles now dutia-
| BILE were made absolutely prohibitive
and the free list allowed to remain as
at present, all our imports would, of
course, be free, but what would be the
effect upon the prices of finished ar
| tfcles and consequent cost of living to
the people,"
! 1t is not what the American people
pay in tariff taxes into the Federal
treasury which constitutes the tariff
| burden that bears SO heavily on them.
| 1t is the hundred times that amount
paid by them in excessive prices to
American manufacturers of similar
competing and protected goods-that
is what makes the bulk of that burden
1t is this vastly greater sum, of which
the government gets not dollar, but
which, as result of law, goes into the
pockets of trusts and monopolies, bred
by this vicious system-this consti-
tutes the gross injustice that cries
aloud for redress at the hands of the
Democratic party
The Republican party cannot right
these wrongs. 1t is today divided into
two hostile factions. They have two
plans of action on the dominance of
Big Business. The Roosevelt radicals
would cure or mitigate this evil by
the use of the Big Stick, by arbitrary,
autocratic. one-man power. Their the
DRY of government is to govern-to get
results regardless Of the methods
used regardless of law, tradition or
constitutional limitations. Their Cos
pei is that OF the old Jesuits The
End Justifies the Means This meth
cd is full of danger; it is a menace to
the future of the Republic The rene
dy is worse than the disease.
The conservatives, or reactionaries
on the contrary, would adopt a do
nothing policy. They deny the exis-
tence of the evil. They declare there
is nothing to be >lred but popular
clamor. Their Cry is let well enough
|alone"-and let us alone Stop discus
sion and agitation, and prosperity will
abound President Taft stands half
way between these two armies, and is
drawing the fire of both. His position
is illogical if not impossible. He can
not satisfy both the East and the
west, because he was supported by
them for opposite reasons. Eastern
republicans voted for him because he
was conservative and judicial, because
he would do away with Roosevelt
ISM as the New York Tribune declar.
ed IN the campaign. Western republi-
cans voted for him in order to per
petuate the Roosevelt policies" He
cannot serve two masters, although he
is doing good job of trying. He recog-
nlzes the existence of organized greed
and graft, and he is trying to cure
them by Cancellation and compromise.
He is by nature and training opposed
to coercion or usurpation-he believes
in keeping within the bounds of his
authority. But he would keep on a
friendly footing with his party lead
ers in congress, the agents of the spec
lal interests; he would favor them
with patronage, give them moral sup
port, and, by putting them under OBJ
legations to him. he would try to
bring about some substantial measure
of reform. This is the old, weak and
worn out method of the politician and
has long since proved a failure, for
it generally results in the reformer,