The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-12-19
IS IT THE PARAMOUNT?
BY sAy0YARD

ly both platforms will declare against them.
 I cannot agree with the history of the organ l have aouted: And when the is sue has been thus sharply drawn in the past, the republicans have carried the country" That is not true. In 1SS2 1SS6. 1890, 1892, and 1910, the issue was sharply drawn" and the country went over whelmingly democratic each year, though in 1888 the republicans bought the election for perfection" and they had a narrow margin, very slender margin. In 1874 the country voted against protection, and the tariff would have been reformed by the Forty-fourta Congress-at least the House of Representatives fresh from the people, would have dealt a cruel blow to the enormity-if the theft of the presiden- ey by the rarty of great moral ideas" had not come On 10 supplant the tariff as the paramount.
 The constitution Of the United States, section S, article l. confers on Congress authority to enact tariff laws. In his veto message President Taft told Congress that it didn't know how 10 make tariff law but that a commission" or "board," :" composed of five men, to go up and down the earth and get information that is not worth shuck after they have got 1t, is the only body in our country fit to make a tariff. According to MT. Taft, Congrss must abdicate its authority to Hay and collect" tariff duties I believe he is the only President to veto a tariff bill, and his infallible tariff board has reported to him that he was wrong in that; but his action cost the American people many millions that went to swell the ill-got gains of the shepherds and the weavers, who have the power to tax the people to enrich themselves.
 No wonder MT. Taft is shy of the tariff. He is condemned by his own board" he was repudiated by the people. There is l rebellion in his party, and it has never
 been explained whether Canadian reef
 procity was not extorted from Congress
 by a promise of the President that nc
 tarir bill of any sort should get his ap- proval. And so we did not get Canadian reciprocity, and the order of the people to Congress to reduce and reform the tariff was treated with contempt.
 L It is not possible that even the demo- fcratic party is fool enough to surrender the tariff as the paramount issue. If it wants victory it should tender Death to Protection as the sole issue and make the declaration that tariff taxation shall be for public purposes only and for noth- ing else.
 Some of the manufacturers are begin ming to see that free trade is their saliva ton, for then they would make goods not only for 100000 Americans, but for the 1,5O0.eOO0oO that make up the rest of the hunI il family. In the old days there was a c1lss of politicians in our country known as Northern mer with southern principles" Martin Van Buren was one. Caleb Gushing was another, old Ben But Ter was yet another. And now we have fallen on times when there is a large class at the south who may aptly be called Southern men of northern principles. . for that is what your southern democratic protectionist is.
 The democratic party has but one leg to stand on, and that Is lower and honester tariff. Taft don't want that issue, and It will not be paramount if the G. O. P. can | supplant it with something else.