The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1912-08-15
.rary chairman of the Bull Moose

temporary chairman of the Bull Moose
convention.
The senator devoted more than half
of his 5000 WORD address to what he
| termed the business evil that faces
Americans" as embodied in the trust
issue. He laid down as the motto of
the Progressive party, Pass Pros
perity Around and made the as
Sertion that the Progressives mean To
put laws on the statute books that
will tell American business men what
they can and what they cannot do.
This part OF the keynote speech en-
BODIED a bitter arraignment of the
Sherman antitrust law. characteriz-
ing il as antiquated and uncertain. and
reiterated Colonel ROoseVelt's much
repeated opinion with reference to the
oil and tobacco trust decisions Of the
Supreme Court. BeVeridge described
these decisions as licensing the - Is
TO go on doing every wrong which DSTley
ever committed
Included in his appeal for better
trust laws was general assertion
that the ProgressiVeS would wipe off
the statute books all laws tending to-
ward licensing malpractice in bust
ness. 1t was noteworthy. however.
| that Beveridge did not come out fiat
/ foOtedly for government regulation
/ of the trusts. though his speech init
mated that such was the aim of the
/ Bull Moosers.
The tariff issue was the second club
with which the ex-senator hOnOred as
a fetish of the Progressives. Neither
/ the Democrats nor the Republicans
/ he asserted, could honestly carry out
/ any tariff politics which they pledge
/ the people to carry out" He eX-
/ planned this statement by saying that
the interests controlled the elder po-
J ltical parties absolutely an0 would
not permit the enactment of tariff leg
islation detrimental to their business
welfare.
Moose Emblem.
The Bull Moose emblem. said Bev-
eridge, stands for the separation of
/ tariff and politics through the inSti-
tuition of tariff board for any such
revision of that measure as shall be
needed to give fair play to both cap
ital and labor. Mr. BeVeridge 0e-
scribed the aims of the Progressives
on this score as follows:
"A tariff high enough to give Amer
lean producers the American market
when they make honest goods and sell
them al honest prices, but low enough
so that when they sell dishonest goods
at dishonest prices foreign cOmpeti-
ton can correct both evils; a tariff
high enough TO enable American pro-
ducerS to pay their workingmen
American wages and so arranged that
the Workingmen will get such wages:
a business tariff whose changes will be
so made as to reaSSure business in
stead of disturbing it-this is the tariff
and the method of its making in
which the Progressive party believes"
Beveridge also attacked child labor
ana advocated the protection of fe-
male labor by adequate laws looking
toward the equalization of the wages
of men and women.
In speaking of the many assertions
lately made that the Progressive re-
forms were unconstitutional, Beveridge
said:
The same thing has been said of
every effort that the nation has made
10 end national abuses. But in every
case, whether in the courts. at the
ballot box or in the battlefield, the
vitality of the Constitution was vinoI-
Gated We assert anew that vitality.
| Inc Progressive party believes that
me constitution is a living thing grow
ing with the peoples growth, strength
enlng with the peoples strength. aid
ing the people in their struggle for life
and liberty, permitting the people to
meet all their needs as conditions
| change"
No mention whatever was made of
tne initiative, referendum and recall
the recall of judges, nor any of the
I more radical measures earlier ascribeo
to the PrOgressives.