Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1912-09-17
BETTER THAN FORMER TARIFFS

Taft is going to be the worst beat
en- man who has run for president
since Horace Greeley. And he is GO
ing to be beaten because he did not
keep faith with the American people.
The progressives nominated and elect
ed him, because Roosevelt Vouched
for him as a progressive. And when
he got into office he proceeded to
make his bed with the reactionaries,
and to ditch Roosevelt men and
Roosevelt policies as fast as he could.
Promising the people tariff revision
downward while he was a candidate,
as president he signed the Payne
Aldrich bill which gave us revision
upward. And then he added insult to
injury by telling us it was the best
tariff law ever. From the day Taft
made that Winona speech he had no
more show of being reelected than a
rabbit. - WoOdburn Independent
)Dem.)
The foregoing argument" is a fair
sample of that used by enemies of
the Republican party in this cam
paign, and is so papably false and
misleading that it is hardly to be be-
lieved that it will fool any thinking
man. Certainly it will be shown in
all its fallacies if one will stop and
carefully investigate the real truths
as they are presented and matter
of record. Passing over the asser-
tiOn that President Taft "ditched"
Roosevelt men and Roosevelt poll
cies" which amount to nothing, one
comes to the only semblance of ar
gument in the whole contention, the
declaration, or inference, that he fail
ed to keep faith with the American
people because he signed the Payne
tariff bill.
Democratic editors and members
of that party, who declare that the
tariff is tax and are constitutions
ally opposed to protection for Amer
lean Industries, cannot be expected to
declare their faith in the Payne tar
if law. They are opposed to any
tariff law, for that matter, and their
opposition to this particular measure
Is to be expected. But, for one who
processes to believe in the tariff, to
attack the law with the assertion
that 1t is indefensble, is to acknowl- |
edge a prejudice against its trainers
and against the President, which is I
unfounded
When President Taft signed the !
Payne tariff he declared that it was .
not what he wanted. He did not say
that it was the best measure that |
could be devised but he did say that |
It was better than its predecessor.
In this contention he took the posi-
tion of believing that a half loaf was
better than no bread and he signed
the bill. Immediately he was sub
jected to the abuse of the Democrat
ic leaders and of their Republican
insurgent allies, who saw an oppor-
tunity to put Taft in a hole" and
boost their own political fortunes at
the same time. Yet what are the
real facts regarding this much-abus-
ed tariff?
When the present occupant of the
White House was inaugurated he fell
heir to a number of vexatlous. prob
lens that came to him as legacies
from the preceding administration
Although there had been a constant
clamor for tariff revision under the
of Theodore Roosevelt
had been done along this
line. The Dingley law had outlvcd
its usefulness. While IL had revived
our industries, following a period of
depression brought on hy the iuau-
guration and observance Of Demo-
cratic policies, il had been found en-
tirely inadequate to meet the new n
nancial requirements by reason of
the rapidly increasing expenses of
government And so a revision of the ,
tarin had been promised the country I
In the Republican platforms OF 1908. ,
The Roosevelt administration had left ,
a depleted treasury. with a deficit Of ,
S5S,00O.0 900. II was at once apparent /
that. unless the constant drain should +.
be checked. there was danger that. In ,
order To meet conditions IL might Ice ,
necessary to resort to the cNpcdiCnt I
nj a bond issue i'm times Of profound q,
peace. as was done during the Clcvc- =
and administration.
With this condition demanding inn a
mediate attention. the President inn a
ncdiately called an extraordinary 1 +
session OF congress To take up the !