Gloucester County Democrat., 1911-10-26
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER
BY Clyde H. Tavenner.

lAG IIESluEuL HAS UESA III ttAC
West. The people have listened to
his defense. And they still believe
he did wrong in yetoeing the honest
efforts of both branches of Congress
to reduce the awful cost of living in
the United States.
Such is the tenor of the news that
has come over the wires from the
special correspondents who either ac-
companied or trailed Mr.. Taft on his
10000 mile swing.
Arthur Henning, Washington cor
respondent of the Chicago Tribune,
interviewed hundreds of westerners
and found that the people generally
liked Mr.. Taft personally but abso-
lutely disapproved his record as
President
Angus McSween, the celebrated
Washington correspondent of the
Philadelphia North American, (also
Republican,, wired from Topeka,
Kan, as follows:
President Taft did not make a
dent in the surface of strong pro-
gressiye sentiment in the state of
Kansas during his visit here
1t developed, too, that great many
men, in all walks of life, candidly ad-
mitted that next year they proposed
to vote for a Democrat for President,
Notwithstanding they always before
had voted for Republican. A great
many of these referred to the magni-
ficent record the Democrats made in
Congress last session, and frankly
admitted that since the Democrats
had shown real ability to govern, and
govern we'll, it was no more than their
due than they should be given great
er responsibility.
ALL LEGITIMATE BUSINESS SAFE.
Chairman A. o. Stanley, of the steel
trust investigating committee, says
the Republicans are endeavoring to
create the impression that the Dem
ocratic investigation of the steel trust
is in the nature of an attack on the
steel business. He denied that this
is true.
Republican newspapers, said Mr..
Stanley, ARE trying to make the
country believe they are prosecuting
steel corporation. Nothing could be
further from the truth. The investi-
cation has been conducted with the
utmost fairness, and not single one
of the steel men who testified failed to
thank the committee for the fair and
generous way in which he had been
treated.
The Democrats realize the neces-
sity for constructive action. They
want the country to feel that no legi-
innate business is going to suffer at
their hands, and that no business
which is not legitimate is going to
prosper if they can help it.
The Democratic party is not bent
upon ruthless policy of destruction,
and no legitimate business need fear
that it will be treated unfairly"
THAT TARIFF BOARD is A PEACH.
Is it fair to judge President Taft's
board himself thinks of it? If so, it
is a sort of a joke.
Chairman Emery, of the tariff board,
in speaking at a banquet Of the Amer
lean Association of Woolen and Wor-
sted Manufacturers at New York
City, said:
There are certain things that are
very difficult to get, and one thing,
that according to the platform of the
Republican party-and incidentally
that does not mean anything to me,
except that have been given the job
according to that Platforms to try
to get the cost of production I
thank you all gentlemen, that you
did not laugh. Gaughter) / frank
ly say right here that this idea of
settling things on cost alone is all
nonsense. You must not think / am
joking about this thing, but there is
a joke about it, and the joke is this
have no powers whatsoever The
tariff board has no powers. There is
really no such a thing as a tariff
board. The law says that for certain
purposes the president may employ
such persons as he sees fit. / am
one of such persons. That is all"
| daughter and applause.)
And it was because of this board,
even the chairman of which treats as
a joke, that President Taft vetoed the
| efforts of both branches of Congress
to reduce the cost of living.
PROTECTION BOOSTS PRICES.
| The United States is not the only
natlon SuHerlng from excessive pro-
lection. The rigid protective policy
! OF Germany though not so dras-
| tic as that of the United States. has
so increased the cost of living as to
compel the most severe economies on
the part of the wage earners. The
families Of the masses cannot afford
the luxury of meat. Horses, and even
dogs, are killed in large numbers for
consumption as food
| Wages are not increasing in Ger
many, nor are labor conditions being
improved. In the last five years sta
tistical returns show that, making
due allowance for increase in popu-
lation, that employment of females in
industrial occupations where male
labor is to that extent supplemented,
has increased over 33 per cent.
/ KENYON PROGREsSIvE-REAC-
4 TIONARY.
| Thn