The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-10-25
ANSWERING A VOTER.

ANSWERING A VOTER.
Statements Of Interest In All Sections
OF Country.
A Republican voter in Grand Rap
ids, Mich, recently addressed let
ter to the headquarters Of the Repub-
lican National committee in Chicago,
In which he said:
Il have been Republican all my
life. and for 80 years have been vot-
ing nothing but straight Republican
ticket for president Of the United
States"
He does not say that he will do 9TH
erwise this year. for he believes Pres
ident Taft to be honorable and worthy
Of the many honors that have come
TO him. He adds, however, that the
Republican platform of 1908 called for
a downward revision Of the tariff and
that this solemn pledge has not been
Rept. He also asserts that the large
majority Of the laborers in the wool
en- mills are foreigners instead OF
Americans, and are employed at starv-
alton wages instead OF being paid
wages upon which people in this coun-
try can live decently. He further
calls attention to the fact of a state
ment that English automobile manu-
facturers are forming trust to COM
pete with American companies that
are said to be running the English
market. In conclusion, he wants some
information about the panic Of 1907.
The explanations and information
desired by this Republican voter are
SO general In their character that the
answer forwarded to him will certain
ly be Of interest to other voters in
every section Of the country The re-
ply says:
Tariff Revised Downward.
"'The past four years have indeed
been most prosperous ones, with few
Industrial or other disturbances, and
with conditions generally satisfactory
And, after all, Is not the real test
| OF any administration the conditions
which exist In the country while 1t Is
| In power?
1T is doubtful II you could find a
statement OF Mr.. Taft In which he
| said there had been no promise OF a
revision downward His letter Of ac-
ceptance states clearly that he did SO
| construe the pledge of the platform
In 1908. Furthermore, the tariff was
| revised downward. The impression to
| the contrary is due to three sources.
One Is the attack made upon the
Payne law by the magazines. That
attack was prompted chiefly by the
| bitter resentment toward President
| Taft because he had recommended
that the second class postage rate be
advanced so that the magazines would
come somewhere near paying the gov
eminent what 1t cost to transport their
editions. 1t costs the government
now about $6O,0OO.0 900 year to carry
the magazines through the mails, and
they pay 1t In postage about 10000
900, leaving clear subsidy of $50, OOO.-
00O year. The president suggested to
congress that this was not a square
deal toward the government, and the
magazines determined to break him
| down"
Opposition to TAFT Explained.
The reply further stated that the
opposition of the metropolitan press
to President Taft Is due to the fact
that he declined to put print paper ON
the free list, while the third source
from which the people derive the i'm.
preston that the Payne law shows re-
vision upward instead of downward
was the declaration by Mr.. Champ
Clark In his speech opposing the bill
when 1t was before the house of rem.
resentatives. Mr.. Clark, speaking as
a prophet and not as an historian
said that the duties under the PAYNE
bill would show an average increase
OF LII per cent. over the Dingley law
The letter continued:
THAT statement went out IN tho
country. and was accepted as a fact
when 1t was merely a guess. But
the law has been In operation now for
nearly three years. and we do not have
TO guess. because we know. And
these are the facts shown by the
books OF the treasury department.
Under the Dingley law 443 per
cent. OF all imports were on the FREQ
list. Under the Payne law 6l2 per
cent. are free.
Under the Dinsley law the aver.
age duty on all dutiable imports was
2b.5 per cent, while under the paw
law the average duty has ben 20 nor
cent. pe'
/ In other words. the Payne Law
shows a reduction of ten Der cen, Nv
low the Dingley law on dutiable 60
while on all goods imported 1t shows
reduction Of 81 per cent. This -
not prophecy. as d.. Clark's s,.,a
msnt was. it ia history"