Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1911-08-31

r1AAA. Ton, kN.. ~
With the tariff the issue before the
people Of the country. the West vir- i
ginia Senators and the four Dsmocfatic
t;ongressmen from that State have
gone 20 their homes entirely willing to
leave 70 the people Of their State or |
distrietsthe question Of approving their
courae inthe extra session Of Congress-
but recently closed,
What was done by the Democrats at /
the session just ended and what was
done BY the Republican Stand Pat
tersss and the Republican Stand Pat,
President is well known. In strict full
fillment Of the Democratic campaign
pledges to reduce the tariff ID the. IN |
terest Of the people and not to maintain
or Increase it in the interest Of the
trusts, the Democrats passed through
the House tariff billsreducing the duties
on practically al the necessities Of life.
These bills were passed through the
Senate With the aid Of Progressive"
Republicans, and would have become
llaweh dit not been for the veto Of the
President, who could not stand It to see
the protection removed from the trusts
which have been getting enormously
Irich off the people and the ordinary liv-
ing expenses Of the people reduced.
Yet this was the same President,
who as candidate for the Presidency
lin 1908 Interpreted the Republican ma
tionaI platform as promise to revise
the tariff downward and pledged him
lself and his party to an immediate
downward revision Of the tariff if he
were elected. Mi. Taft was elected and
| the Republicans had control Of both
Houses Of congress. But they refused
to reduce the tariff and instead incfeas-
ed it and the President approved the
bill. So much for Republican promises
on tariff.
Having tried to obtain relief from
exorbitant tariff duties through the
Republican party and failed, the people
: then tried the Democratic party and
elected a House of Representatives
with Democratic majority. This
House, within little over four months
after being called into extra session,
had passed bills reducing the tariff or
neatly all the articles of necessity, and
had bills almost ready to report reduc.
ing the duties on still other articles
With the assistance Of the Progress
sl8e" Republicans in the Senate these
bills had all passed both houses Of Con
gress and the Democrats were ready
with others when the President vetoel
of every measure intended to reduc,
the cost Of living and make the profit
of the trusts loss began to pour in. /
was found that twas useless to try t,
reduce the tariff with President Taft il
the White House, and the Democrat
having shown their good Intentions ant
having forced President Taft and hi
party to 60 on record as to tariff re
duction. agreed to adjournment
In the matter of tariff reduction tn
West Virginia Senator'S and Democrat
members of Congress played an impor
tant part, and their Identification witt
the work of the Democrats in Congress
in the interest of tariff reduction cal
not be overlooked In the House, wher
all tariff bills originate, every Demo
cratic Congressman from West Virgini
Davis, Brown, Littlepage and Ham
ilton- voted every time avote was cast
in favor of tariff reduction, unless b
happened to be paired with some Re
publican who would have voted agains
it had he been present, The records o
the Congressman are clear. Ever.
Democrats from West Virginia stoo'
for tariff reduction. while the lone Re
publican Congressman from the State
James A.. Hughes, the Stand Patter,
voted when he was here against tariff
reduction and was paired against it tn,
rest of the time
In the Senate, as Secretary Of th,
Democratic caucus Of the Senate, Sen
ator Chiffon had an important part il
framing the politics of the Democrat
which resulted in the passage through
the Senate of every tariff reduction BIZ
passed BY the Democrats in the House
And; Senator Watson succeeded IN pass
ing through both Senate and House
measure the passage Of which wonll
have brought unwonted prosperity q
all the coal mining regions Of the State
AS probably the most largely intereste,
tperson in the State in coal mining, Sen
I ator Watson has held AL along that
tariff on coaljs not only not needed 10
the prosperity Of West Virginia, bu
that free coal from Canada, if it he
suited in free American coal for Can
ada, would greatly benefit the coal op
orators and miners Of the United States
particularly those in the southern par
Of West Virginia. He persisted in hi
3 effort to bring this condition about til
he succeeded III passing through botl
houses of Congress- 4 measure to admit
Canadian coal free of duty whenever
Canada admits American coal free d
duty. The President vetoed it. Sena
tor Watson did his part and but for thi
President's veto would have largely in
icreased the coal business in West Vir
ginia and benefited every miner ant