The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-05-04
ROOSEVELT ON PROTECTION.

The Democrats and insurgents are
going to make their campaign this
fall upon the tariff question beyond a
doubt. From time to time the in
surgents have been using the name of
former President Roosevelt 10 bolster
up their cause, and assuming that he
VIII be with them shortly in the flesh
as well as the spirit. What Mr..
Roosevelt really thinks about tinker
ing with the tariff may be judged
from his letter of acceptance in 1904.
Speaking of Democratic revision, he
said:
1t is but ten years since the last at
tempt was made by means of
lowering the tariff. to prevent
some people from prospecting too
much. The attempt was entirely
unsuccessful The tariff law of
that year was among the causes
which in that year and for some
time afterward effectually IRE
vented anybody from prospecting
too much. and labor from pros
pering at all
That was his opinion of the Wilson
bill. which Grover Cleveland de-
nounced as "perfdy and dishonor" on
the part of the Democratic party, but
which he allowed to become a law
without his signature.
The insurgents and Democrats pro-
pose to revise the tariff for the pur-
pose of getting even with the trusts
without thought or care for the other
interests involved. On this very point
Mr.. Roosevelt was very explicit in his
letter:
Undoubtedly it would be possible at
the present time to prevent any
of the trusts from remaining
prosperous by the simple expe-
dent of making such a sweeping
change in the tariff as to par
alyze the industries of the coun-
try. The trusts would cease to
prosper, but their smaller com
petitors would be ruined, and the
wage workers would starve,
while ii would not pay the farm
er TO haul his produce to the mar
ket. The evils connected with the
trusts can be reached only by
rational effort, step by step,
along the lines taken by Con-
gress and the executive during
the last three years If a tariff
law is passed under which the
country prospers, as the country
has proSpered under the present
tariff law, then all classes will
share in the prosperity. If a tar
iff law is passed aimed at pre-
venting the prosperity of some OF
our people, il is as certain as
anything can be that this aim
will be achieved only by cutting
down the prosperity of all our
people.
Mr. Roosevelt, while President, was
known as trust buster" but he had
no patience with those who would
pull down the whole fabric of our in
dustries in an abortive attempt to
reach a comparatively few alleged
lawbreakers.
Mr.. Roosevelt realized. in 1901, as
every thoughtful Republican realizes
now, that the Democrats, while
shouting for further revision down
ward, really mean to establish free
trade if given the opportunity. 1t is
the whole system of protection they
mean to destroy. On this point the
letter of acceptance is strong:
OF course, if our opponents are not
sincere in their proposal to abol-
iSh the system of a protective
tariff. there is no use in arguing
the matter at all. save by point
ing out again that IL on one great
issue they do not mean what they
say, ii is hardly safe to trust
them on any other issue But if
they are sincere in this matter
then their advent to power would
mean domestic misfortune and
misery as widespread and far
reaching as that which we saw
ten years ago.
Whether the Democrats propose TO
abolish or revise at the present time
does not affect the situation We
know what happened when they had
the power, and we know that the
principle Of protection is not to be
found in any of their platforms. If
given the chance, the services of q
prophet would not be required to
foretell what would happen to the in
dustries of the country. the farmer.
mechanic, laborer and everybody else
included Mr. Roosevelt knew it in
1904 and there is no rea so11 70 he