Imperial Valley press., 1912-08-08
WOODROW WILSON ACCEPTS
NOMINATION BY THE DEMOCRATS

o The platform is not a program. A
program must consist of measures,
administrative acts. and acts Of leg
islation. The proof OF the pudding is
/ In the eating thereof How do We
intend "a make ID edible and digest
iblee From this time on We shall
he under Interrogation. How do we
expect 10 handle each of the great
matters that must be taken up by
. The next congress and the next ad-
ministration?
What is there TO dog 1t is hard
to sum the great task up, but appar-
emily this is the sum OF the matter:
| There are two great right things TO
| do. One is to set up the rule of
I justice and of right in such matters
as the tariff, the regulation of the
trusts and the prevention of monOp
| oily. the adaptation of our banking and
currency laws TO the varied uses 10
which out people must put them, the
treatment of those who do the daily
I labor in our factories and mines and
throughout all our great industrial and
commercial undertakings, and the po-
ltical life of the people of the Phil
mental power in trust, for their SER
vice, not our own. The other, the ad
dtional duty is the great task of pro-
tecting our people and our resources
and of keeping open TO the whole
people the doors of opportunity
through which they must, generation
by generation, pass if they are TO
make conquest of their fortunes in
health. in freedom, in peace, and in
cOntentment. In the performance Of
this second great duty we are face
TO face with questions of conserva-
tion and of development, questions OF
forests and water powers and mines
and water ways, of the building of all
adequate merchant marine, and the
opening Of every highway and facil-
ity and the setting up of every safe
guard needed by great, industri-
Gus, expanding nation.
You may think that l am wander
ing off into general disQuisition that
has little to do with the business in
hand: but | am not. This is business
business of the deepest sort. 1t
will solve our difficulties if you will
but take it as business.
See how it makes business out of
the tariff question. The tariff ques-
ton, as dealt with in our time at any
rate. has not been business. 1t has
been politics. Tariff schedules have
been made up for the purpose of keep
ing as large a number as possible of
the rich and influential manufacture
ers of the country in a good humor
with the Republican party, which de
cir H,a ia1
The tariff has become system Of
favors, which the phraseology of the
schedule was often deliberately con
triyed to conceal.
How does the present tariff look in
the light of il? | say nothing for
the moment about the policy of pro.
lection. conceived and carried out as
a disinterested statesman might con
ceive it. Our own clear convict ion
as Democrats is, that in the last
analysis the only safe and legitimate
object of tariff duties, as OF taxes OF
every other kind. is TO raise revenue
for The support of the government:
but that is not my present point
We do not ignore the fact thar
tie business of Il country like ours
is exceedingly sensitive to changes
in legislation of this kind. 1t has
been built up, however. i'll adyisedlr.
uron tariff schedules written in the
way | have indicated, and its founda-
uUn must not be 100 radically or TOO
suddenly disturbed When we act
We should act with caution and pru-
dence, like men who know what they
are about, and not like those in love
with theory. Ii is obvious that the
changes we make should be made
only at such rate and in such a
way as Will least interfere with the
normal and healthful course of COM
merce and manufacture. But we shall
not on that account act with timid-
lily, as If we did not know our own
minds, for We are certain, of our
ground and of our object There
should be an immediate revision. and
il should be downward, unhesitating-
ly and steadily downward
For what has the result been? Pros
perity? Yes, if by prosperity you
mean vast wealth no matter how dis
tributed, or whether distributed at all
or not; il you mean vast enterprises
built up to be presently concentrated
under the control of comparatively
small bodies of men, who can deter
mine almost at pleasure whether
there shall be competition or not.
The nation as a nation has grown
immensely rich. The majority of us
have been disturbed to find ourselves
growing poorer, even though our earn
ings were slowly increasing Prices
climb faster than We can push our
earnings up.
Moreover. we begin 10 perceive
some things about the movement of