The Washington herald., 1912-06-28
Ollie James FIayS
Taft S Tariff Record
cratic House on Revenue Legislation.
Party United, He Says.

trusts. corporations or monopolIes; be-
lleviug as we do that the right to levy
q tariff exists only for the purpose OF
running the government economically
and eficientIy, We put the tarin ques-
ton to the people in segregated form.
First. we reduced the tarih upon wool
en- clothes 40 per cent. This was the one
schedule that President Taft himself had
said was too high; that it was only made
possible by reason Of the strength Of the
Wool Trust in the East and the wool
growers in the West. but he could not
veto It because he would have to veto
all the other fourteen schedules Of the
tariff bill This bill went to the Senate,
and though II was controlled by the op-
position party, We found sufficient assist
snce from the ranks Of our opponents
to pass It up TO the President. The
President returned II 10 the Congress Of
the United States with his veto and
assigned as his reason that he had no
tariff board report, and was therefore un-
informed upon the question: and for this
reason returned II with his disaPproNal.
We undertook to pass this bill over his
veto. Our Constitution requires two
thirds to accomplish this. We have more
than 100 majority in favor OF the passage
Of the bill, his veto TO the contrary not
withstanding. We lacked only eleven
votes OF having the necessary two-thirds
10 pass II LlIOuSn lAib L1oAsc VI ENSBEN-
sentatives over the Presidents veto.
And to-day the Wool Trust stands not
behind a majority Of the lawmakers of
the republic, but behind the veto Of the
President and the eleven more than one
third Of the representatives Of the Ameri-
can people, picking the pockets OF the
shiveriHg poor and ragged people Of
America.
Republicans Arrogant.
The Republican party became so arro-
CANT and confident that this character
OF the robbery would continue TO meet
the favor Of the American people that
they boldly wrote into their platform OF
1903 a declaration that the tariff should
not only equal the difference in the cost
Of production at home and abroad, but
should be high enough in addition 10
this to give a profit to the manufacturer
here. In all the history OF civilized
governments no party ever became 50
defiant Of the public will, or went so far
as to say that all the rest Of the people
should be taxed, and from their pockets
taken a suficient amount to give a profit
to another class OF people. They offered
no profit to the farmer, though the
drought might come and storms destroy
and failure meet his efforts. The laborer
was offered no profit. He might toll
from early morning to late at night, and
sleep in an humble tenement He was
guaranteed no profit by the Republican
platform. The only class Of our mill
lions Of Americans, who were considered
SO peculiarly the favorites Of the Repub-
lican party as to warrant them in de-
claring that the taxing power Of the
government could be used to take from
the pockets Of men in other pursuits OF
life money sufficient to give a profit 10
their special favorites, were the manu-
facturers- Nor were the American people
taken into confidence OF the Republican
party as to how great this profit might
be, or how much watered stock It was
to be paid upon, or how inflated
Wool Tax IndefenEibIe.
The tax upon wooden goods is the
most indefensible OF all taxes laid upon
the American consumer. It Is q tax
collected at the drug store, and by the
establishments. The bill was
passed by the Democratic House, and
vetoed by the President, which would
have saved to the consuming Americans
upon the price Of their clothing two
hundred million Of dollars per annum. |
but the Wool Trust cried out to the |
President, and he unloosed the clutch |
that We had upon the throat Of the wool |
monopoly by vetoing this bill and re-