The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-09-10
cellar S Veto of Tariff
Ills Shows Presence Of
wv rong Advisers. !"
PRESID .NT'o FEAR
NJ. Fox PEOPLE
Haroens His Heart Against the
Multitude and Displays Anxiety
Only for Those Who Profit
by Present Excessive
Rates, Says Ohio
Governor.

BOSTON, September a-Presider,
Iafts attitude toward tariff refor,
was attacked by Governor Harmon .,
OHIO tonight In a speech before IN.
gathering of Democratic Clubs. Gov.
erhor Harmon said that the Pres,-
dents course in vetoinE tariff hil,s
passed by the special session OF Con
sress indicated that he had been
oy wrong advisers" Speak
/ ing OF the Presidents objections ia
| 'hese bills. he said Those and Other
! marks of paternity suggest the uues-
! tion whether the vetoes NAV not have
peen adopted offspring. like tho de-
tense of Balinger."
He needed no commission" said
the speaker. when he promised zen
erai reduction before his election, nor
"hen ne called the special session to
une promise. nor when he signed
Inc bill that broke the promise nor
when he confessed that the wooden
and cotton goods duties were too high.
nor when he made the agreement with
canada. Fills position Is simply thai
those who by the trickery OF ,arirY
making have secured q license To i'm
pose eHorb!.ant prices on the American
people shall go on doing 1t. in spite OF
tho action of both houses Of Congress.
TO the people. nor even experts, shall
advise him how much these favor
taxes ought to be reduced and how to
DO 1t scientifically. He admits they are
too high on these absolute and univer-
sal necessities of life. but he fears
these bills may have cut them too
much. All the men, women and chill
dren in the land must continue to suf-
fer an admitted wrong. that affects
n ~
any risk of causing too much shrink
age in profits made excessive by law.
| The people must not even have tho
oeneht of the doubt
Wnrse Sire Than Ixnorance,
III the present tariff charges had
been fixed merely without proper
knowledge and skill 1t could well be
said that an 'unscientlac' remedy is
good enough for an unscientinc wrong
especially when those who apply the
remedy have the advantage OF dealing
with actual results, while those who
did the wrong acted only on conjecture
But the. Payne-Aldrich- Smoot law had
a far worse sire than Ignorance. And
IL Is reflection on ON plan of gov
eminent to say ulat the diagram intqui-
ties OF that law shall go on defying
good sense, common knowledge and.
honest purpose until a commission
without legal responsibility or author
ity. shall decide how the duly chosen
law-makinG body may deal with them
Il believe in the veto power. But
1t is to be employed only on the clear
and positive conviction OF the execu-
tive that the public interest SO re-
quires. He is allowed ten days to
consider and decide. II he remains in
doubt at the end of that time, action
of his part is dispensed with, and tho
So ~
comes effective without 1t. For the
President to defeat the action OF Con
gress. especially when 1t follows the
plain mandate OF the country, merely
because he is not Certain about 1T him
self and wants to wait for somebody
else to advise him, is new and peril
Gus departure from the wise design of
the Constitution
We have had tariff commissions be-
fore. but none OF them ever accom-
plished anything but delay. And IL
ever time is money 1t certainly Is to
the benefciaries of n favor tariff. The
consumers of the country were enti-
tied to at least partial Immediate re-
lief this Congress gave and the Presi-
dent took Eway. His tenderness was
all for the few who profit by the pres
heart to the multitude who are com
PEELED to pay the exorbltant prices
which include them."
Charges Insinccrfty.
''Not content with calling the ma
jority in Congress unscientifc incom-
petent and ignorant" continued Cover
nor Harmon. though in his vetoes he
did so in parliamentary phrase. the
President now. In public speeches
charges them with insincerity. employ
ing the ruder language OF the stump
says they were playing politics.
This. gives a fellow feeling for
Messrs. Clark and Underwood and
their associates For when I set about
the reforms in Ohio which was elect
ed to secure, found myself confront
ed by a General Assembly, Republi-
can in both branches, which undertook
to discredit my administration In
every way It could. 1t smothered or
defeated measures proposed to prevent
further grating with the treasury
funds to limit taxation and distribute
II fairly; to reduce expenses and Sc
cure effective conduct OF the public
business. When / persisted in urging
measures for those and other worthy
objects. though I knew tho fixed pur-
pose to mako my efforts fruitless. I.
too. was charged with playing poli-
ties which means pursuing a course
from some unworthy MOTIVE and any
motive except to promote the general
welfare is unworthy in public on
cee.
But ut the FIRST opportunity the
voters OF the State most emphnticnll,,
declared that they play politics who
thwart efforts for reforms, and not
they who make such efforts, however
hopeless of Immediate SUCCESS.
In Touch With Washington.
And talk OF playing politics. The
members of the obstructive Republi-
!, fCsontInuad on ThIrd pee -