Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-10-30
Tells Ohio What Free I rade
Policy Would Mean.
Election Of Wilson a Menace
To Industry and Labor.
What Would Happen with Demo :
cratic Party in Full Control.

Washington, Oct. 29-"No man
would care to have his state fail him,
but wholly apart from selfish reasons,
/ want 10 see Ohio go Republican by
large majority said President Taft
in letter to Fred A. Geier of Cinein-
natl, made public. today, at the White
House. The President attacked Cover
nor Wilson and the Democratic party
on the tariff question and said that
Ohio would suffer particularly if the
present tariff protecting the steel,
wool and pottery business We're dis
turbed. The letter follows:
My Dear Mr.. Geier:
Il an most gratified to learn of the
splendid work which you are doing to
arouse the business men in Ohio and
of the excellent prospects of victory
for the Republican ticket in my own
state OF course. the fact that ii is my
own state makes me all the more
pleased. As you can Wen appreciate.
no man would care to have his state
fail him, but wholly apart from sell
fish reasons, / want to see OHIO go Re
publican by a large majority.
1.-The injury which Ohio would suf-
fer from a Democratic victory would
| DIUDdDlS t&Ctth tiisit iitttitATh pii eiliI
other state in the Union. That Is
clearly shown by the efforts which our
Democratic friends have already
made to rob Ohio industries of the pro-
lection which is so essential to their
continuance, to say nothing Of their
prosperity.
You, of course. realize how disas-
trous the steel bill which ! was COM
IN,
our state. Ohio has $4,000 persons en-
gagged in manufacturing and & CAPT.
tai of 81 300 100000 invested in manu-
featuring plants. How large a proror-
ton of all this is involved in the man
ufaeture of machine tools YOU know
better than I, but it is n fact that the
Democrats, without rhyme or reason,
put all machine tools on the free list.
Then too, they cut the duty on steam
engines from 80 toa15 per cent, and
throughout that bill they reduced du-
ties until the average was 1908 pei
cent, while even the Wilson bill I'M
posed an average duty on the same
products of 379I per cent-and you
know the disaster which followed its
enactment.
In their wool bill the Democrats
struck a vital blow at the wool indus
try. The report of the Tariff Board, the
accuracy of which has never been chal-
lenged, shows that an average duty
of IS per cent. is necessary TO make
the raising of wool profitable, but, ab-
solutely needless of that, the Demo-
Gratis reduced the duty on raw wool TO
% per cent. and as for the manufac-
turers of woolens, the Democratic DIN
would have put them entirely out OF
business, leaving our farmers With no
home market for their wool and throw
ing hundreds of thousands of employees
out of work.
Does it not strike you as supremely
ridiculous for Governor Wilson vague
ly to ultimate that il he is elected ne
will make such a gentle reduction OF
the duties that business will not be
injured, when his party has so recent
Nv put itself on record as attempting
cuch reckless changes of the tari'
that mad / not vetoed their measures
we would now be confronted with q
panic?
what, think you. could Mr.. Wilson
do in the White House were there
Democratic majerities in both Houses
of Congress- majorities made up i'll
large part of the same men who pass
ed the steel and wool and the cotton
and free list bills which was COM
PEELED to veto and the vetoes of which
he has himself criticised? And es-
pecially. what could he do, however
good his intentions, when he had been
elected on platform which declares
all tariff imposed for purpose of pro-
lection unconstitutional?
During the present session of Con-
gress the Democrats lack control of
the Senate. and while they have been
able to persuade a sufficient number