Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-08-08

commercial undertakings and tho politi-
cal life of the people of the Philippines.
for whom we hold governmental power
in trust, for their service, not our own.
The other, the additional duty Is the
great task Of protecting our people and
our resources and of keeping open to the
whole people the doors of opportunity
through which they must, generation by
generation. pass n they arc to make con.
quest Of their fortunes in health. in free
dom. In peace and in contentment. In
the performance of this second great du-
ty we are face to face with questions
of conservation and of development
questions OF forests and water powers
and mines and waterways. Of the build
ing of an adequate merchant marine
I'VE have got into trouble in recent
years chiefly becnuse these large things
which ought to have been handled By TAX
Ing counsel with as large number uf
persons as possible. because they touch
every interest and the life OF every class
and region have in fact been too often
handled in private conference They have
been settled by very small. and often de-
iiberately exclusive groups of men who
undertook to speak for the whole nation.
or, rather. for themselves In the terms
of the whole nation, very honestly it
may be but very iCnoran,ly sometimes.
and very nortsightedly too. u poor s,,l-
situtc for genuine common counsel
NEED NEW POINT OF VIEW
mo group of directors, economic. or
political can speak for people. They
have neither the point OF view nor the
knowledge. Our difficulty Is not that
wicked and designing men have plotted
against us. hut that our common affairs
have been determined upon too marrow, q
view, and by ,he private an Initiative
Our task now Is to effect a great ~e-ad
iustment and get the forces of the whole
people once more into play We need no
rsvoirtion we need no excited change:
're need only new point of view and n
new method and Split of counsel.
The tariff question, as dealt with in
our time at any rate. has not been busi-
ness. IT has hccn politics. Tariff sched-
ules have been made up for the purpose
of keeping as large n number as possible
OF the rich and influential manufacturers
of the country in a good humor with the
Republican party which desired their con-
Stant financial support. The tariff has
become system Of favors, which the
phraseologN of the schedule was often
deliberately contrvcd to conceal Who,
when YOU come down to the hard facts OF
the matter, have been represented in re-
cent years when our tariff schedules were
being discussed and determined, not on the
floor Of Congress. for that is not where
they have been determined, but in the
committee rooms and conferences? That
~ bt yhpl n
YOU. can you, bring the whole people into
the partnership or not?
TARIFF SHOULD BE LOWERED.
We do not ignore the TACT that the
business Of a country like ours is ex-
ceodinslN sensitive 10 changes in legisa-
tion of this kind. IT has been built up.
however ill-ad visedly, upon tariff sched-
nes written in the way ! have Indicated.
and its foundation must not be too
radically or too suddenly distdrbed When
we act we should act with caution and
prudence, Ike men who know what they
are about and not like those in love
with theory. II is obvious that the
changes we make should be made only at
such a rate and in such a way as will
least interfere with the normal and
healthful course of commerce and manu-
facture. But we shall not on that ac-
count act with timidity as If we did
know our own minds. for we are certain
Of our ground and of our object. There
should be an immediate revision and il
should he downward unhesitatingly and
steadily downward.
"Yhe nation as nation has grown
Immensely rich. She is Justly proud of
her industries and of the genius of her
men of affairs They can master any-
thing they set their minds to and we have
been greatly stimulated under their lead
ership and command. Their laurels are
many and very green. We must accord
them the great honors that are their due
and We must preserve what they have
built up for us.
VALUE OF THE DOLLAR LESS.
But what Of the other side Of the pic
ture? 1t Is not as easy for us to live as
II used to be. Our money will not buy
as much. High wages, even when we can
get them, yield us no great comfort. We
used to be better or with less because a
dollar could buy so much more. The ma
joritv of us have been disturbed TO find
ourselves growing poorer. even though
our earnings were slowly increasing
Prices climb faster than we can push our
| earnings UP. We know that they are not
fixed by the competitions of TIE market,
or BY the ancient law OF supply and de-
| mand which is to be found stated in all
! the primmers of economics. but by private
arrangements with regard to what the
supply should be and agreements among
| the producers themselves. Those who buy
| are not even represented by counsel The
high cost of living Is arranged b, private
| understanding.
1--WE naturally ask ourselves how did
| these gentlemen get control of these
| things? Who handed our economic laws
| over to them for legislative and contrac-
| tual alteration? We have In these dis
| closures still another view OF the tariff
| still another proof that. not the people
| of the United States but only a very
small number of them have been part
| ners in that legislation.
LABOR AND CAPITAL
1.-The so-called labor question is "A ques-
| ton only because we have not yet found
| the rule of right in adjusting the inter-
| ests of labor and capital Here, again,
| the sens, of universal partnership must
come into play If we are to act like states.
men, as those who serve. not Il class.
but a nation
THE working people of America If
they must be distinguished from the
are. of course. the backbone of the nation.
No law that safeguards their life. that
improves the physical and moral condi-
1