Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1911-09-14

content to allow the session to pass
with the accomplishment of the pur-
pose for which II was called. I am
sorry to say that, having pursued a
purely statesmanlike course, with
reference to reciprocity they did play
politics of the most irresponsible
character In respect to three tariff
bills The bills bear internal evil
dence of the fact that they rested on
a basis of tariff for politics only"
After describing at length what he
called profound errors" of Mr. I'm
derwood, Democratic House leader, in
framing free trade" wool BIN, and
sketching, later replaced by Mr.. La
Follette's "protectionist" measure Mr..
Taft said: "The bill is seen to be a
compromise between avowcd free
traders and avowed protectionists; a
bill conceived In an unnatural ALI
ance; bill the product of political
log rolling for the purpose of secur-
ing its passage; bill framed In ig-
norancc of the exact effect of its OPP
erations, and bill that presents only
those methods In its adoption which
had been generally condemned In the
making Of previous tarig bills. No
tariff bill within any ones recollec-
ton has ever been passed with SO lit
tie care. These men. who before had
been eager for a scientific revision of
the tariff, declined to wait 30 days TO
hear a report of a full investigation.
Under the present conditions II ir-
ritates these gentlemen Of the House
and Senate. who have, heen engaged
In passing tariff legislation for poll
tics chiefly to have the report OF the
impartial tariff board referred to as
a reason for waiting 30 days In order
to obtain care in Legislation which Is
of vital interest to the country and its
industries. ! submit that the con-
gressional history of this legislation,
taken with the previous inconsistent
position of Mr.. Underwood and Mr.
Clark, Mr.. La Toilette and his ASSOC
ciates. is sufficient proof that II ought
not to have been signed.
ut Is enough to convince the peo-
pie Of this commonwealth that the
party in power In the lower House,
and the combination which was tenn
porarily In power In the upper house
ought not to receive from them vote
of confidence.
THE other two revenue measures
were really impromptu and we're so
loosely drawn that to have put them
on the statute books would have been
a serious reflection upon the Congress
responsible for them. They would
have produced the utmost confusion
In the collection of revenues, would
have made very different changes in
the rates from those which the auth
ors of the bills intended, and were.
certainly not measures that any Con
gress would nave been Wiling to be
Responsible Tor II they had been
framed with bonafide purpose or
expectation OF making them into law
They were plainly measures made
to appeal to a supposed popular de-
sire and with the hope that by the
veto. which they had every reason tC
expect, they might invite popular hos
tility toward the executive and che
party OF which he was the head.
These are the simple facts in respect
to the tariff legislation attempted In
the House and in the Senate.
with respect to the commonwealth
Iof Massachusetts the amendments OF
the WOODEN schedule. of the cotton
schedule and Of the duty on shoes
were Of the most serious. cannot
tell what their effect would be, but
as they were measures savoring of
free trade and avowedly departing