Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1912-03-30

to the cost of production in the Unit
ed States for comparison with the for
eign cost only the cost of produc-
ton in some part of this country
where ordinary good judgment would
have dictated the location of a plant,
ought to he considered as the Amcri-
can cost. If we depart from these
simple rules which have moral rs
well az commercial side we are
bound not only to get into Il hopeless
tanglc, but to encourage n sentiment
among our own producers which in
the smaller affairs of life we should
dcnOunCc as n spirit of voluntary pau
perism.
why not give the term protection
when applying II to the tariff, the same
meaning we give II In any other CON
ncCtiun? As citizen YOU are pro-
tcCtCd' In your life, liberty. and prom
crty 10y u body OF laws, u force of
police. and n system of courts catab-
lishcd for the purpose. They don't
single you out to heap special privi-
lCgcs upon YOU, or shower you with
extraordinary favOrs. All they do IL
to fortify you 80 securely in your po-
sition that no one who happens to he
stronger than you may maltrcat you,
no one who Is shrcwdor may cheat
you. and no one who Is richer may on
that account trampc on your rights.
would you? Your pride. your sense of
manhood. your love Of fair play, would
revolt At any proposal to Coddlc You
individually at the expense Of your
nciEhhors.
We'll. give the average American
producer credit for an equally manly
and independent feeling assume
that what he asks of our government
is fair field and no favor He
knows that every dollar of his profits
from domestic consumption comes out
of the pocket of some fellow country
man: and IL he II a square man he
heavier than need he. what he does
hope Is that the tariff will he so ad-
justcd under the Republican platform
of 1908 as to assure him u reasonable
profit Beyond that he is ready to take
care of himself. II that Is not protec-
ton, then I'm afraid | don't under
stand the good old American meaning
of the word.
Ar nnt,,inIftI nf In
mcnt made by some timorous critics,
that the effect of reducing our tariff
to what they call the competitive
basis will he that II will really drop
he flooded with chcaply made foreign
goods. 40 that our producers will be
driven out of business by insufficient
protection. Well. there are two an
swers to that. The first is that the
platform whose promises we are try
ing to fulfil does not contemplate
such II cut in rates as would cripple
any American industry II takes aC-
count of the right Of the American
producer to "A reasonable profit Tho
difference between the foreign pro-
duCcr's figures and those of the Amer
lean producer, which | want tn see
used as the measure of protection for
the American. Is the difference he
tween what each expects to get for
his goods. allowing for n fair compel
tive rrOht for himself. | have already
said this In another FORM hut IL will
bear repeating, as 1t II u point on
which 80 many people speak appar-
entity without understanding, or at
least without consideration.
THE second answer Is that Congress
Is never so Indifferent to the will or
the welfare of our people as to cut to
the quick In such matters We are as
far from the bald ideal of free trade
as from that of the Chinese wall Each
has had It's day and gone its way. II
Is everywhere recognized now that the
foreigner Is not going to he turned
loose on our markets His only funC
ton Is that of a restraining influence
We consider what he might do If we
let him have his way, In order to keep
the demands of our manufacturers for
protection down within bounds which
will he just to the consuming public
as well AZ to themselves.
I so there YOU have the outlines Of
my tariff plan, and of the conflict be-
tween my administration and its OPP
. pOncnts. In Congress and elsewhere.
on the tariff question. I am quite con-
tent to let the sober. thinking people
of the United States decide between
us"