The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1912-10-25

y" S"- -
Congressman E. J. Hill IL one Of the
greatest, II not the greatest. tariff ex.
perts In the United States. He rep
resents Fairfield county, Connecticut,
In congress, and he has recently pub
lished q startling document In which
he shows the effect the Democratic
tariff bills passed during the recent
session Of congress and vetoed By
President Taft, would have had upon
these industries II enacted into q law.
He lists the factories In alphabetical
order and shows in connection with
each n just the percentage OF ~
duction In the duty upon the article
which 1t manufactures. The showing
fills four pages Of a newspaper and Il
has not only awakened Connecticut to
a shuddering realization Of the dan
ger 1t has escaped, but It has aroused
all New England to the menace OF .
Democratic victory.
Mr.. Hill shows beyond question that
II these Democratic bills had passed
practically every industry in his dis
trict and In the entire state OF Con-
necticut would have been put upon
a free trade basis and a very large
proportion Of them would have been
obliged to close their doors. Manu-
facturers from all over the country
who have see this exhibit are writ
ing to Mr.. Hill to thank him for ma
king 1t and to tell him hat they had
no idea how neal to extinction they
had been. They had not realized tho
deadly menace to their industries
which was hidden In the Democratic
tariff bills and they had not realized
the Unreasonable debt they owe TO
President Taft for vetoing 1t. Ono
correspondent from Delaware writes
that Congressman Hills disclosures
had set the state on fire." and that
is hardly too strong a term to use to
describe the intense interest aroused.
Another article which has recently
appeared and which has produced al
most as startling an effect upon those
to whom 1t was Immediately address
ed as that Of Congressman Hill. IL an
editorial in the American Sheep
Breeder" This editorial calls atten-
ton to the fact that neither Colonel
Roosevelt nor Professor Wilson made
any reply whatever when asked what
their attitude would be on the Ques-
ton Of protection to the wool indus
try, while President Taft answered BY
wire, calling attention to his veto Of
the wool bill and the expression OF
opinion which he gave In that veto.
The editorial very properly draws
the inference from the silence Of tho
Bull Moose and Democratic candidates
that the wool industry need not hope
for any consideration at their hands,
and 1t quotes the message OF President
Taft to show that he realizes the alb
solute necessity OF protection In order
that the Industry nay prosper. and
that so long as he is In the White
House no free wool bill can become Q
law.
The american Sheep Breeder"
goes to many thousand men engaged
in the sheep industry and It Is not In
any sense a political newspaper. II
is devoted to the interests Of the
sheep industry. however, and its 81.
preston Of editorial opinion that
President Taft and the Republican
party alone can be trusted to safe
guard hat industry. can hardly fail
to concentrate upon the Republican
ticket the vote Of all those vitality In
terested In that industry.
The Democratic managers realize
the deep-seated distrust toward their
party which exists IN account Of Ito
attitude on the tariff question and are
trying desperately to make It appear
that the tariff plank in their platform
does not really mean 80 very much.
They plead that the Democratic pro
gram would be to reduce the tariff
gradually SO as not to disturb bust
ness, with the idea that ultimately
the country could reach a free trade
basis by easy stages-which Is Nike
the old story about gradually reduc-
Ing the feed which Is given to your
horse until by dint Of habit ne learns
to do without any feed at all.
But the country will not be deceiv.
ed. The country knows perfectly we'll
that Democratic victory would mean
q IOnK pcTlOu VI CdIlA 06ACoIAOu WtSb
nothing certain except that In the end
bills would be passed under which
there would inevitably be enormous
lmportations of foreign products with
| corresponding contraction and stagna.
ton of domestic trade and manufac.
ture. The country did not fail to take
| tote of the tariff revision bills passed
by the present Democratic congress
under the boast that they did not COT
tain a line Of protection. The coun.
try knows that but for the courage
| Gus vetoes of President TAFT these
ruinous Democratic measures would
now be on the statute books and In
all probability the industries affected
by them would be languishing and
thousands of men out of work.
II Is the knowledge OF these facts
that Is responsible for the strong and
steady drift toward TAFT that u -
-- A~- ~ son<lnua - thA AopA.