The French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1896-1912, 1911-08-24
INCONSISTENT MR.. TAFT.

4 -
In a speech at Winona. MINI, dur
ing the last campaign, soon after tn,
passage of the Payne-Aldrich tarif
law, President Taft declared that tn,
wool schedule was indefensible. Tn,
whole country applauded that utter
ance of the President, but when hi
recently threatened the veto-and thil
threat was carried out on Thursday
his i~nsincerity became apparent. HI
spurns the honest effort of democrats
and insurgent republicans to revist
that iniquitious measure and, in
special message to the House, charac-
terises the Observation-Disclosures
compromise as "a blend Of an avow-
ed tariff fer revenue and anti-protec-
ton measure with q professed pro-
lection bill" This exercise of the
veto power places Mr.. Taft in a very
embarrassing position on account CT
his public utterance with reference
to tie wool schedule last year and
the fact that his Winona speed is to
be made a part of the record will add
to his discomfort when he comes up
for denomination and election. The
House passed this revision bill by
the unprecedented vote of 206 to so.
In a speech to the House while the
bill was pending Chairman Under
wood, of the Ways and Means Com
mittee, put the matter up to the pres
ident thusly:
"The President has said that this
monstrosity should be taken from the
statute books, and when the Senator
from Wisconsin and myself attempt
to reconcile the differences between
the two houses and present a bill to
the President of the United States to
give him a chance to keep his word,
his plighte0 word to the American
people, the leadership on that side of
the House SCOTS at u effort and
hurls back the proposition that the
President of the United States cannot
be relied upon to keep the faith"
The New York World said Under
woods view was unanswerable, and
remarked: eff it is putting the presi-
dent in a hole to give him an Cppor-
tunity to perform a great public ser
vice, then that is what the House did
Monday" The World went on to say
that if the Senate concurred it would
soon be the Presidents privilege to
tighten promptly a burden upon the
people which no one has more frankly
condemned than himself"
But when the crucial moment came
the Presidents courage failed him
and the opportunity to tighten a bur-
den upon the people was thrown to
the foul winds Of the earth. A news
paper report says:
"In explanation of his course Presi-
dent Taft said the bill was not in
harmony with the platform on which
he was elected. Furthermore, he de-
clared that the American people are
deeply impressed with the convic-
ton that the interest of the consum-
ing public can be properly guarded
only by revising the tariff n sched-
ule at a time, and then upon accurate
and scientifically acquired infcTma-
ton"
That there is a widespread belief
that many of the rates in the wool
schedule are too high and in excess
of n needed protection fer the wool
grower and manufacturer is admitted
by President Taft and he says he
shares this belief. Asserting that De-
cember was the time fixed by both
the Republican and Democratic
parties in the last congress for the
submission of adequate Information
upon scheule K, with. a view to it's
amendment the President says there
is no public exigency requiring revi-
sion in August without adequate in
formation"
After declaring that the business
of the gentry rests on a protective
basis and emphasizing the need of
legislative action, the President
promises that the tariff board will be
ready to report in Dececber, and
argues that the failure of the present
bill should not be regarded, therefore,
as taking away the only chance for
reduction by this congress"
The suggestion that the bill was
not in harmony with the platform
upon which he was elected is a sub
terfuge. There was no provision in
the republican platform demanding
the construction and ratification Of a
trade agreement between Canada and
the United States. But Mr.. Taft sign
ed the bill, the passage~of which was
made possible by democratic support,
without protest.
A further objection offered by the
President is that the interests of the
consuming public can be properly
guided only by revising the tariff"
one schedule at d time. That
is exactly what the Underwood
policy has been taking a single sche-
dule at a time, but it is wrong.
Tariff revision by piece sim
ply will not do at all, because