The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-02-14
FACTS ON TARIFF
GIVEN IN Speech
OF Address SAT-
URDAY NIGHT BEFORE re.
PUBLICAN CLUE REAL.
IZEp BY TAFT.

| Washington, Feb. l2..--when Presi-
dent Taft left Washington 1t was his
judgment that his speech Of Saturday
night before the New York Republi-
can club was to be one Of the most
important he has made since i1s came
into the presidency. He lad been CIV
| ing the speech a. go1d deal Of careful
thought for a couple of weeks. The
president has not changed tho views
on the tariff he expressed TO the coun-
try In the Winona speech of~last Sept
ember He then thought the Payne
law was a substantial compliance with
the pledge of the Chicago platform Of
downward revision. He still thinks So
Within the past couple Of weeks he
has had experts in the treasury de-
partment go over the new tariff law
most carefully. comparing It, item by
item, with the old Dingley law. That
comparison the president believes fully
justifies what he said at Winona, and
even more than that he said in New
York Saturday night.
Compares Number o. Items.
He has ascertained the number Of
items as to which there have been re-
auctions in the new law, and compared
them with the number cE increases, and
with, the number Of items as to which.
there have been n changes This COM
parison he finds sustains his conten-
ton that the Payne law. while in
numerous details 1t not what certain
sections Of the country wanted, is a
revision downward. He had it in mind
when he left washington to give the
~ Inn NF rfn ft, Id
speech by way of proving his state
pirate comment
The president realizes that the tariff
is to cut more or less figure in the cam
paign this year, and he is anxious, on
that account, to have a clear and accu-
rate ste cement Of just what The new
law provides by comparison with the
old. law, made on full authority. so
that some Of the transformation re-
garding the new law may be corrected
in time for campaign purposes.
Use Statement for Text.
It was such a statement that he
made i'm New Yor,: Saturday night, and
it is the expectation of all supporters
Of the administration hat this state
ment will be the text for republican
speeches in all, parts the country.
The president wants republican lead
ers everywhere to get hold Of the tar
iff facts as he has got hold of them,
and make them the subject of fire.
quent use, bo.h on the stump and in
the press.
The Payne law. he is now convinced
more firmly than ever before, is good
law, as tariff laws go. and one of the
best, if not. the very lest. the country
ever had. AS the recognized lead
err Of the party, he stands by II, and
gives the reasons why. These reasons
he hopes viii be convincing.
The tariff portion of the presidents
speech Saturday night comes oct quite
opportunity. following the recent polls
made by certain west newspapers Of
republican editors ard patrons I'm that
section. These polls show marked dis
satisfaction with the Payne law. The
president maintains that this c.ssatis-
faction Is based on insufficient infor-
nation regarding what the law con-
tains as compared with the Dingley
law.
The Chicago platform, by implica-
ton, promised a revision downward.
The president, with the official figures
of the treasury experts before him,
says the Payne law is substantial
compliance with that promise, although
as a matter of course, IL he could have
eenspernlitted to do so, he. would have
gone farther than the men did who
made that law.
Wide piffereree of Opinion.
This difference of opinion regarding
schedules is as wide as the country in
its belief and the president realizes
that probably no two of the men who
are dissatisfied at present with the tar
if law would have precisely similar
views as to the directions in which 70
make further reductions. He therefore
strikes a general average and insists
that the reduction are numerous
enough, in comparison with the in
creases, to justify his claim that the
Chicago platform has boon lived up to. f!
Having thus made 1t clear that. i'm |
his opinion, the tariff law is a COM |
pliance with the party pledge. he |
paved the way, i'm his New York |
speech, to a demand that other
pledges be fulfilled, having reference to
legislation that is now pending in con-
gress, and regarding which there Is a |
good deal of party difference, as for
instance i'm the matters Of conserve
ton and railroad regulation.
The president talked Saturday night /
as the party leader. He was the guest /
of the republican club Of the greatest
city on the continent and on that ac-
count IL was appropriate for him toll,
talk as a politician and not entirely
as a president Tie opes that the
speech win do much TO clear UP the
situation in the party By leading mem
bers of the party to study the tariff
law, for instance. and understand its
provisions, before condemning IT,
He also hopes that the speech sat
urday night will give the country an
understanding OF hts attitude toward
the corporations violating the Sher-
man law. AS his policy Is understood
here, he will do little or nothing I'M
the way OF further, prosecutions until
the supreme court has handed down
the Standard Oil and tobacco trtiss de-
cisions Should these decisions, as he
expects will be the case. be H. favor
Of the government, they viii guide the
IN further activities In
the courts.
II