The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-10-12

to see special privileges denied to all men and equal opportunities so far as is possible. secured to all men, you must continue In office the party which has as It's head in this state, Governor Hadley."
 Colonel Roosevelt then turned to the discussion of new. nationalism," ev- cry principle of which, he said. was to be found in the profession and the prac- tice of Abraham Lincoln.
 Tariff Discussed
 This was followed by his remarks about the tariff. Colonel Roosevelt said:
 "As to the tariff, 1t seems to me that the situation is much clearer than some people would have us believe. l fully admit that there was a time when, if our opponents had acted with reasonable wisdom, they could have made us trouble. But they let the op- portunity slip and they did not act with reasonable wisdom ss
 The republican party Is united In the doctrine officially set forth in its national platform two years ago. that the tariff shall be such as substantial ly to equalize the cost of production here and abroad. As the cost of pro- duction Is mainly labor cost, this means primarily that the duty should be great enough 10 continue tO give tO our 1d- boring men that higher standard or wage without which there cannot be that higher standard of living which primarily distinguishes the American wage worker from the wage workers of all other countries.
 Now, not only is this the doctrine Of the republican party, but I believe it is the doctrine of the overwhelming ma jority of the American people I do not n AmariCan people at present seriously advocates free trade or a tarn for revenue only l most emphatically do believe that If any such issue raised there will be an over- whelming decision in favor of the policy of such measure of protection as that above outlined. Now, the question is to how to achieve the purpose thus ex- plicitly declared. It seems to me, and think that more and more it seems to the people of this country, that the meth ods hitherto obtaining in making our tariffs for a great many years, are inef- fective in correctly and justly applying the protective principle as outlined above. We wish to give proper protection to each given business, and above all to the workingmen In each given business as a matter of right and justice, and not as a matter of favor or preference. and above all not give proper protection as a matter of favor or preference obtained by log rolling.
 Danger of Inquiry
 Therefore, we feel that there should be tariff commission, composed of im- partial experts amply equipped for -ob- taining not merely from the statements of interested parties, but by special in- vestigation, as will satisfy them that the facts are accurate, in formation that will enable congress in each given case to es- fah aI fhn Af v,rO sary to carry out the principles above set forth.
 Moreover, the investigation should form a programme each successive re- port being treated on its merits, so that each schedule can be revised by itself in accordance with which the facts devel- oped by this company of impartial ex- perts and without any heed being paid to any other consideration than the justice of that particular case.
 This will prevent log rolling and it also will prevent the, far-reachipg dis turbance of business which necessarily comes when all the schedules are revised in lump. Finally, T. feel that 1t should be the duty of some government body to at any time Investigating conditions in any particular industry to see whether or not the workingmen actually get the benefit that the tariff is primarily created to give; that Is, to see that the laborer gets his full share of the benefit of the protective tariff, in accordance with what firmly believe to be the purpose of the American people.
 By enacting into a law such policy as that above outlined we shall on the one hand do away with the danger of injury to American industries which would follow if they were left wholly without protection from foreign competi- ton, and on the other hand we make sure that the laboring man gets the benefit of the tariff primarily enacted in his inter est do away with the favoritism and log rolling which, under present conditions. seem inevitable in the process of tariff making and make 1t certain that the amount of protection granted in each case Is the amount actually necessary to cover the difference in cost of pro- duction here and abroad and not so ex- elusive as to represent improper favorit- ism to any special group of men.
 'I think that the surest way to prevent an agreement is to indulge in useless recrimniations about the past. You re- member the present tariff was made lip by exactly the same methods that its predecessor was made and that the pre- decssors, democratic predecessors, was made by exactly the same methods that have obtained in tariff making for an in- definite number of years"
 Colonel Roosevelt then, indorsed the plank in the Missouri republican plat form which pledged the party to . work ~s~1-