The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1912-08-31


odid be enabled TO 90 through the
country preaching either protection
or free trade. where 1t would best
serve their purpose. In other words.
the battle cry was POLK. Dallas and
the tarif Of ~" which meant that
while Polk was a free trader they
would abide by the then existing tar
In that was thoroughly protective.
The result was that Polk and Dallas
were elected, and in 1915 was passed
the famous free trade law of that
year made possible by the vote OF
the vice president himself. who had
been put on the ticket because he
was a protectionist, and for fourteen
years we had as near free trade in
this country as was possible with
such hardshlps and times Of anguish
and pity that we do not like to recall
them.
Again in 1892 the Democratic
party nominated for its standard
bearer the free trader Grover Cleve-
land. Mr.. Cleveland had served a
term as president but had not been
able to carry out his tariff ideas be-
cause Congress was not of the same
He had, however, sent out
his famous free trade message OF
1887 and the country feared that II
he became president with a Demo
House and Senate the tariff
would be lowered most materially
and alarm was felt throughout the
country because Of that contingency.
So Mr.. Cleveland in a speech made
at the Madison Square Garden dur
ing that campaign and in other
speeches throughout the country,
told the business men and manufac-
that they need not fear any
drastic legislation that would .injure
any American industry II he were
or words to that effect.
What was the result? Cleveland
was elected and with him Demo-
cratic House and Senate and we got
the Wilson free trade law which Mr..
would not sign, not be-
cause he thought It would ruin CIR
industries, but because-it .did+not go
far enough toward the free trade
he desired. We had those
years Of idleness and low wages or
no wages, those years of unprot1t-
able farming. those years OF in
imports which displaced
American goods and those years of
distress and starvation so prevalent
in every large city and community
from the Atlantic to the Paci1s.
And now we come again to the
nomination by the Democratic party
of another avowed free trader, but
the Democratic party fearing to
the hostility Of the laboring
classes both in the factory and on
the farm, says in its platform:
1--WE recognize our system OF tar
Tiff taxation is intimately connected
the business Of the country I'D
we favor the ultimate attainment OF
the principle we advocate by legisla-
ton that will not in1ure OF destroy
legitimate industry"
And Mr.. Wilson is already telling
the people Of the country that while
he believes in ultimate free trade,
in taking off every duty that is not
necessary for revenue, yet he would
go about 1T very gradually and kill
only one industry at a time. The
American people should by this time
be wise to such proceedings. They
have had two doses of this kind OF
medicine. and we do not believe that
they will accept the statement of the
free trade party Or the free trade
candidate that If successful they
Will injure no American industry.
The only way to prevent history re-
peating itself is to re=elect Mr.. Taft
and the Republican Congress and
then there will be no doubt that an
American workman will not lose his
job or any American farmer his
market.
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