The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1912-10-10

West Virginia who voted for the
pop-gun tarfr bills which President
Taft promptly vetoed in the interest
of more particularly the smaller con-
Germs and their employees, are try
Ing to defend their votes by declar-
ing it was aimed at trusts" 1t is
weak explanation. The tin mills,
lsteel mills, potteries, glass factories,
wool-growing sheep in West Vir-
GINA which do not enjoy any
trust" connection are largely in
the majority. They are the smaller
competitors, and it is from the men
employed in these industries that
the strenuous opposition to the re-
election of Congressman Davis, Lit
tlepage, Brown and Hamilton is be-
ing made.
Take the steel and metal bill, for.
example. Its passage would not
have affected the steel trust with its
vast ore holdings. But it would
have ruined hundreds of smaller
manufacturers like the tin plate
mill in Clarksburg, which, the owner
writes the Hon. George A. Laughlin,
of Wheeling, would have had to-
shut down had the bill for which
these Congressman from West. Vir-
ginia voted been passed. This is
Clarksburg's largest industry. Par
kersBurg's lafgest manufacturing
concern is a steel mill. 1t is an in
dependent concern and it would
have suffered by the bill in question
becoming law. The same can be
said Of the mills at Fairmont, Nor
gantown, Paden City, Huntington, a.
number of independent concerns Of
a like kind in the Wheeling district,
and elsewhere in the state.
President Taft clearly explains
this in an interview given out this
week. Discussing this selfsame
metal bill he said: "As l sought to,
make plain in my veto message,
there were PAS Industrial concerns,
scattered through eighteen states,
which would have been seri-
ously injured by the Democratic
bill. Many representatives of or
ganized labor testified that they
would be seriously injured by its
passage and urged me to disapprove
it,, Take the manufacturers of ma
chine tools alone. There were 225
Iof them who testified that the pro-
vision placing machine tools on the
free list would compel them to close
their factories and to throw all their
employees out of work.
"Of course, people who are not
directly interested have a vague i'm
preston that the steel bill affected
only one big corporation engaged in
the production of pig iron and steel.
but the fact is that the steel bill
affected other industries which pro-
Educe far more than fifty per cent of
Iithe iron and steel products of the.
country, and / believe that every
owner and every employee of an in
dustry so affected realizes the harm
which would have come to him had
| permitted the Democratic steel bill
to become law.
1T has been the constant and un-
deviating aim of my administration
to protect the great number of COM
paratively smaller business concerns
OF the country from extortion by
those who have sought to acquire
monopolies on the one hand, and
from that injury which must newt
ably result from the ruthless de-
struction of the protective tariff on
the other, and in affording this pro-
lection to the employers the admin
istration has been equally benefting
their employees.
These are the reasons why l be-
lieve that, although big business
may strenuously oppose my re-elec-
ton and may finance with liberal
hand the campaign fund of my OPP
ponents, I can rely on the support
of the great army of comparatively
smaller business men and their host
OF employees"
1t is a striking fact that the sharp
contest Of this campaign over the
tariff mas prominently developed the
fact that West virginians very
largely hold the same views as the!
president has here expressed. I'll
looks like smaller business men"
in this state are for the re-electa1ee::e.>
OF President Taft and the non-inter-
ference with the present unparall-l
eled prosperity which prevails. And
not only they, but the farmers OF
this state, too.
In carrying out this approving