The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1911-09-16
When Tariff Thieves
 Fall Out Honest Men Get Their Dues
(By Clyde H. Tavenner.)

Especial Correspondents of the FarmeC
 Washington, Sept. 16-"When high tariff thieves fall out, honest men get their dues"
 President Taft's personally conduct ed tariff board is composed, for the most part, of men who are known to be friendly to the high tariff bdea. The American Protective Tariff league al- so is friendly to the high tariff-vio- lently friendly. Yet for some reason the high tariff league has become suspicious of the high tariff board, and out of this suspicion has grown a charge against the integrity of one of the members of the board. And through this charge honest men are given a chance to learn of another scandal in connection with the tariff boards operations.
 The charge is made by w. F. Wake man, Secretary of the tariff league, if board, who in private life is the publisher .of a trade magazine, has allowed the board to engage one of the writers Of his magazine staff, Joseph E. Wing, to go to South Amer ica "to investigate the wool in dus- try
 In the last issue of the American economist, the tariff leagues official organ, the inference is plainly stated and Wings real purpose in going to South America was to write series of articles for the tariff board mem- ber's magazine all his expenses, of course, being paid by the tariff board.
 It is charged that Wing can neither read nor write the Spanish language, which is spoken exclusively in the countries he is supposed to be investi- gating with regard to the wool in- dustry. To be unable to speak Span- ish, the Economist says, renders an investigator wholly incapable of learning anything that would be of interest to the tariff board in prepar- ing report of conditions in Argen- tina, where Wing is Investigating"
 This charge, if it is true, and there seems to be little doubt that it is, is in line with the tariff boards ac- tion in employing T. M.l Burton, g. professional high tariff writer and az itator from the Pacific Coast, to 'in- vestigate" labor conditions in certain manufacturing centers in Europe
 The Republican standpatters are in a curious predicament regarding the tariff board. When President Taft gave as anis excuse for vetoing the downward revision bills sent him by the Democrats, the fact that the tar- if board had not, time to report, he was gladly haled as a savior by the high tariff advocates. He had staved
 
 longer, and they were duly thankful. Now, realizing that the tariff board may against their hopes and expecta- tions, report in favor of cutting cer- tain schedules, they are out after the boards scalp
 This sudden show of resentment against the board has been induced, in part. by a magazine article by one L. Driving, who claims to have 'in- side information" that the board will report that automobiles can be made cheaper here than abroad Such a report by the board would be broad side against the AmericaA automobile makers contention that a duty is needed on their machines, hence the Protectionists are already out of pa- tience with the tariff board, and are seeking to discredit, it's report in ad- vance.
 President Taft's personal press bureau, of which private Secretary Hilles is the head and tail. has started a. cam paign designed to divert the attention of the people from the tariff issue, and particularly that part of the tariff issue which has to do with MT. Taft's vetoes of the revision downward meas ures which were placed before him by the Special session of Congress.
 The first evidence of this attempt to chloroform the highly taxed mil- lions into forgetfulness of the Presi- dents broken promise was made ap- parent when the White House public ity bureau flooded the country with glowing accounts of the Taft adminis- tration's glorious achievement in gaining the signatures of France and England to peace treaties. So far nobody has been able to understand why there was a pressing necessity for this government to enter peace pacts with nations with which we en- joy the friendliest terms, nor has amy one figured it out how a peace treaty with these nations is going to loosen the grip of the food and clothing trusts on the people of this country
 Moreover. the Senate has refused to ratify the treaties, which led the Pres- ident's press agents to announce that "Mr. Taft would take the peace issue sQuarely to the people during his trip into the West" Consequently it may