The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1912-08-08
A WORN OUT CURSE.

TO them | appeal, as to- all repub-
licans, to join us in an earnest EFFORT
to avert the political and economic
revolution and business paralysis
which Roosevelt defeat will bring
about-From Mr.. Taft's speech Of
acceptance. J.,
This amazing utterance is either
an honest forecast Of conditions or
threat. Which is it?
Mr., Taft was nominated on June
|22. That was five and one-half
weeks before his speech OF accept
ance. He was nominated by beg
garly majority of 21 votes in excess
of the minimum number required.
On the ballot which chose him LOT
votes were cast for Theodore Roose-
Welt. But 344 Roosevelt men sat
silent and motionless through the
voting, refusing to take part in the
proceedings. That night meeting
of the Roosevelt supporters inform
ally launched the third-party move
ment.
AS soon as the result of the ballot
was known it became apparent to the
veriest tyro in politics that if the
democrats should nominate man or
any strength whatever his election
would be foregone conclusion. The
Baltimore convention named one OF
the foremost citizens of this nation,
Woodrow Wilson. He heads a unit
ed party. He was nominated on
Tuesday, July 2, more than four
weeks before Mr.. Taft delivered his
speech of acceptance.
There has been ample time for the
country to get accustomed to the idea
of impending republican defeat, and
for any business or financial uncer-
tainty resulting therefrom to be an
old story in market and exchange.
In the issue of The Republic con-
tanning the Presidents speech, the
daily stock market review opened
with the question: "Are the expand
ing volumes and profits of general
business and the continued excel
lence of the crop prospects going to
force at last a renewed bull move
ment in stocks?" And further down
the column we read: 'The Iron
Trade Review in it's weekly report
said that recently the iron and steel
market had become a sellers market.
1t would be rather diff
cult for the stock market to with
stand very long the optimistic pres
sure Of all the facts which are being
supplied about such a great basic
industry And also: Railroad
leadership of the best kind was one
of the striking features Of the trad
ing in stocks today"
Mr.. Taft must read the newspap-
ers. His words cannot, therefore,
be forecast They must be threat
"a sort of republican curse.
In order to be frightened by
curse the consumer" must believe
in the divinity or fetch in whose
name the curse is launched Our
ancestors believed in Wotan and
Loki; but the man who would curse
in the name of these divinities would
not brighten anybody, and would get
locked up in the observation ward
into the bargain. Now in the good
old days of Mark Hanna such talk
as Mr.. Taft's was good medicine.
1t worked. The barons of protection
stood ready to put the screws upon
the general business of the country
in the event of democratic victory.
An assault upon the tariff was IAN
attack on the citadel of business.
Some things have changed since
those days. People have been read
ing and thinking. They know, for
example, that the steel interests OF
the United States are just selling
10000 tons of rails to one Canadian
railroad and three-fourths that
amount to another. They know that
the manufacturers of the United
States are selling in the foreign
market one thousand millions of
dollars of manufactured goods ayear.
They know that there is coalition
in the United States that might pro-
duce panic through the contrac-
ton of credits, if it pleased. They
mean, ultimately, to get to the stu
alton and reform the currency. Mean
while, they are watching the finan-
cial horizon with one eye, and keep
ing the other on the witches buck
cts that brew the storms.
Mr.. Taft's threat is bad medicine.
1t is a WORKOUT curse. The divini-
ties behind it are discredited. The
100 per cent taxes on gloves and
blankets are going to be replaced by
reasonable duties and the tariff is
going to receive like treatment all
along the line. Our steel mills are
going to keep on exporting rails by
the ten thousand tons. Our more
than 100000 worth Of manufac-
tured exports are going to continue
to be sent out on every working day
in the year, via the seven seas. The
crops are going to be harvested.
These United States will continue to
do business at the same old stand.
They will do more of it than ever
under a democratic president, and
with a Congress playing the open
game. In few years good old Mr..
Taft will wonder how he could have
ever believed, without assistance, the
nonsense wherewith he sprinkled his
acceptance speech.-St. Louis Re-
public.