Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1912-04-12
VITAL WASHINGTON NEWS.
Special Correspondence.

opeCldl Correspondence.
Washington, April S.-A perusal of
the literature sent out daily by the
press agents of both Mr.. Taft and
Mr.. Roosevelt reveals that these cam
didates for the honor of leading their
party are making a lot of noise and
kicking up lot of dust about every
thing except the one thing that is
going to be the real issue of the COM
ing campaign, namely, the tariff.
All the Democratic candidates are
not only willing, but anxious to tell
the people where they stand on the
tariff. Look to the opposition head
quarters for a discussion of this vi
tai subject, and YOU are greeted with
q silence so thick that it could be
cut with a knife. Mr.. Roosevelt is
busy trying to interest the people
With the recall of judges" issue, and
Mr.. Taft is trying his best to stand
pat. The Democrats, ON the other
hand, are citing facts and figures to
drive home the one great truth that
the cause of the present high cost of
living in this country is due to the
high tariff wall, and to that alone.
So apparent has it become that the
tariff trusts have been using the tar
Tiff all these years as a weapon to
gOuge profits out of the consumers of
the land, that it is next to pathetic
to hear the prOtectiOniSts in congress
still shouting, as they occasionally do,
that to remove the tariff, or reduce
the rates Of the present law, would
take away the protection for the
American working man." Protection
list orators in both Houses of Con-
greSS, driven to desperation by the
knowledge that the people at last I'M
denstand the real issue, are making
Il last frantic effort to drag out the
old, t4tteTed Boggy man of "COmpeti-
tiON with the pauper labor Of Eu-
rope" in the hope OF making the vOt-
ems once more swallow the bait. But
the baIiff viii not down, and the pro-
tectiOists' cries are becoming weak
er and weaker.
The Democratic Investigations,
wtAGh were 50 much derided when
they were first put into operation,
taught lessons which are daily sink
ing deeper and deeper into the minds
OF the people. The light thrown on
the methods Of the steel trust by the
Stanley committee; the exposure of
the rOtbanneSS in the administration
Of the Agriculture department by the
Moss committee; the shameful condi-
tons in the wooden industry as
brought out by the Rules committee
investigation; the petty manipulation
Of public moneys in the State depart
ment, as shown by the inquiries of
the Hamlin committee, and the vari-
Gus other revelations by the Demo
Gratis of the House, all revealing that
wherever the light was thrown, NAL
administration, inefficiency and actu-
al graft lay exposed, all have served
to convince the people that the Dem
Ocrats have not only proven worthy of
the trust placed in them a year ago,
but that they are worthy of those
':gayer responsibilities which Speak
er Champ Clark said the party would
prove itself capable Of carrying.
The battle Of next November is go
ing to center around the tariff, which
is the mother Of all the evils that
have grown up under the present sys-
tenn. despite the efforts OF the prOtec-
tionists to sidetrack that question