The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1912-08-13
TAFT,s WOOL VETO.


| OF course, President Taft is being
criticized severely by some of his enc
mics for his veto of the wool tariff
bill. But the stand he has taken on
this proposition demonstrates conciu-
sively that he is one of the few men
in public life who puts principle above
politics. and even at time when his
political future is at stake.
There is general agreement that the
present wool tariff, known as Schedule
K of the Payne-Aldrich tariff law is
indefensible. President Taft has re-
peatedly expressed such an opinion.
This wool tariff bill, however, that has
been sent to, the scrap pile by the
president, makes indiscriminate slashes
in the wool schedules that would I'M
doubtedly, as the president points out
reducing many of the tariffs in Sche-
eral of the important branches of the
wool industry of this country. The Re-
publican party is not committed to
any such revision of the tariff down
ward. 1t and President Taft do favor
reducing many of the tariffs in sche-
dule K. And the nonpartisan tariff
board that was created by the Payne
Aldrich law made an investigation OF
the wooden industry at home and
abroad and prepared a report show
ing where Schedule K should be revis-
ed downward to the advantage of the
whole people and in a way that would
not destroy it's properly protective fea-
lures. President Taft would have
signed a wool tariff bill had it been
drawn generally along the lines of this
report. And all of the honest-minded
tariff reformers agree that this is the
only way to bring about an exact and
proper revision of the tariff so as not
to destroy it's great protective feature
that has made the United States the
most prosperous nation in the world.
Even Colonel Roosevelt's Bull Moose
platform calls for a revision of the
tariff by piecemeal and only after the
various schedules and the industries
they affect have been investigated and
reported on by a tariff commission.
This wool tariff bill that has so right
Iy met with presidential disfavor was
drawn in no such fashion. 1t was con-
ceived by the Democratic house in
haphazard sort of a fashion. 1t has
been good politics on the eve of
national campaign for the Democratic
mouse 10 pass as mucn IdrlII IeSiSldtlOH
as possible, because tariff reduction il
popular with the people. And besides
the Democratic party is committed to
a tariff for revenue only policy, which
is practically the same as free trade,
nc which was tried out so disastrous
ly for the country during the Cleveland
regime The bill went through the SEN
ate because of a coalition between the
Republican insurgents and the Demo-
Gratis in that body. 1t afforded the
Republican insurgents a fine chance
to put Mr.. Taft in another hole.
And President Taft went into the
''hole" that was thus prepared for him
just as his enemies hoped. But ne
should emerge from it a much stronger
president with all fair minded mer.
Here was a chance for him to play
big politics for himself and attract the
favorable attention of many of the un-
thinking who would cheer over the
enactment of any old kind of d tariff
bill that reduced the schedules. He
might have helped his campaign a
whole lot with this class if ne had
signed this bill. But he was a big
enough man to toss political consider
ations to the winds and stand out for
the principle of tariff revision to which
he is committed and which is the only
one.