The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1911-08-16

he cost of production, for the elect
lpon our commerce or upon the rev.
,nues of the government. The bills
meet the requirements OF no party
platform. The republican platform
calls for tariff which shall be levied
n such manner as to eQualize the cost
If production between this and for
,ign countries and to provide protec-
ion to the higher American wage
scale. These tariff bills NV being
,assed, with their horizontal and Off
land reductions make no cialm that
they are based on this or any other
There has been no serious
and no serious debate.
l:ne can but think that they are passed
embarass the president and
while under our peculiar political
code this might be eXcusable in demo-
Gratis, it is at least bad judgment for
those who claim to be republicans, 1t
is a thankless and hopeless task to
point out the inconsistencies in the
course of the insur*cnt leaders. In
is the only thing in which
they have been consistent. Taking
to themselves all the credit for in
Canadian reciprocity they
bitterly opposes its enactment,
posing as the apostles of the back to
the people movement" they have been
the most persistent in using star
chamber methods, urging the deep
necessity for tariff commission
which should thoroughly investigate
industrial conditions and make report
before schedules should be revised,
they are now Fastening to discredlt
and repudiate their own child by rush
ing into the arms Of democracy to
pass tariff bills without any consider
alton, either scientific or otherwise.
It seems almost impossible that the
people cannot see that We are passing
through almost the identical situation
which we passed through in 1892:
Then, as now, the country had been
suffering from some of the ills OF over
prosperity. Prices were high, some
men were getting rich, business in
stitutiOns We're growing with marvel
Gus rapidity. Then, as now, a large
number of people were discontinued
and enyious because they felt that
they were not getting their share.
Then, as now, the tariff refOrmers
came to the front with their wonder
full panacea which repeated tests have
proven does nothing but to make the
rich poor and the poor poorer. We
have sometimes wondered by what
process of reasoning the children OF
Israel abandoned their faith in the liv-
ing God and built idols and erected
images upon the high places, and then
in a few years tore down the idols,
destroyed the temples and killed
the false priests and returned once
more to the God of their fathers, and
then, within a few years, built all
their ilods DER again. And yet the his
tory of the Israelites is no more alb
surd or illogical than the way in
which the people of this country have
deserted the doctrine of protection
which has always brought prosperity
and have resorted time and again to
the craven images of free trade.
If the present situation was critical,
if our industries were crippled, our
mills were idle, and the armies of the
marched through our
there would be an excuse for
hasty and radical measures to restore
the prosperity Of the people. But with
the present normal condition with
no sign of industrial distress, save
from the storm cloud of these reform
ers, there is no reason why these
should be rushed through
congress. The insurgents cried loud
and long for a tariff commission. They
got it. They have it. The commits
sion has promised in December that
it will be ready to make report upon
the wool schedule after an exhaustive,
and scientific research.
If the facts then presented warrant a
revision of that schedule, well and
good. 1t should be made. No indus
try and no class of our people are in
such pressing need of any change in
tariff schedules that revision may not
we'll be delayed until this commission
shall make report. For our own part
we are for protection. We belieCe
that the evils of too high a tariff are
a hundred per cent less than the evils
of too low a tariff. We believe that
President Taft will have back of him
the vast majority of the American
people if he shall veto these mis-be
gotten tariff abortions.
WHAT WILL IOWA SAY?