The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-09-27
SECRETARY H|LLES TAXES ISSUE WITH GOVERNOR WILSON Says Democrats Are Trying to Eyade Discussion
 of Tariff HE DECLARES HIS VIEWS ON FREE TRADE How Shall Tariff Reductions Be Made Without Injury to Business?
 Votes for Third Party Are
 Wasted, He Says

Beverly, September os.=chairman Hilles of the republican national com mittee after day with Pr ssident Taft and New England repuhS e leaders, issued a statement tonig,a liking is- sue with Gov woodriss flson and declaring his views or.s trade and protection were to beo ? ured by the effect upon businesoo iditions. Mr. Hilles said in part<
 T see it Is int by Governor Wilson that the, .bliean party is trying to evade sion of the tariff It seems to m # in that respect the boot is on the other leg. I have yet to find in any of the democratic speeches a clear definition of what they propose to do in regard to the tariff If they control the government. There have been a great many platitudes talked and pious expressions uttered of interest to the workingman, but it has not yet been pointed out how they propose revision of the tariff to revenue only point. without in- jury to existing industries.
 Tariff Vital Question
 III HiY OpiHlOn tlltS IS tilt Nildi dutS- ton which the democratic candidates must faco before the campaign is closed and is the issue upon which the thousands of democratic business men who voted for President Taft four years ago will be found voting for him again this fall. The essential question is not whether any of us would like to see the consumer benefited by tariff reductions but how we propose to make those reductions without injury to la bor and to American business enter prlses The real question to the bus mess community is not as to abstract merits of free trade or protection but what will be produced upon business conditions by radical changes in the existing tariff.
 "The opposition should answer the question clearly and definitely whether they propose to so far reduce existing tariff duties as to bring foreign goods into effective competition with .bTer- ican goods Of the same character and thereby to increase imports If they do not mean it. their platitudes about the tariff reform are fraud and delusion upon the American people. If they do mean it. then certain Amer ican interests must suffer. If they do mean it. then certain American inter- ests must suffer. Demand for certain goods cannot be shifted from the Amercan producer to the foreign pro ducer without compelling the American producer to slacken his mill wheels, re- duce his pay roll and dismiss some Of his men.
 Entirely apart from the question whether free trade, as defined in the economic text books would be good thing for country operating in q vacuum, the fact must come home to the working man as we'll as the busi- ness community that if radical tarin changes are to be effective, there must be a long period of painful transition. Tariff changes will either increase i'm ports of competitive articles or they will not. If they will not then the cost to consumers will not be reduced materially If they increase imports they will correspondingly reduce the demand for American made goods and certain mills will be put on short time. men will be laid off and ultimately costly investments in plants and ma- lchinery will be turned into junk. If this is not the policy of the democratic candidates it behorves them to declare what Is their policy.