Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-10-28

President Taft today made public
statement in which he declared that the
-four years of depression which followed
the second election OF President Cleve-
land We're due to the promise of tariff
reforms and the democratic changes in
the tariff that followed. The President
said that the issue before the voters is
clear-"on the one hand prosperity and
real progress; on the other, leap in the
dark" THE American people, he con-
tinued, ''have more than once surprised
those who thought the people were being
successfully fooled. and l believe that a
similar surprise awaits our opponents on
the coming 9th of November"
Depression After Cleveland Election.
The statement in full follows:
In view of erroneous statements re-
garding the causes of the four years OF
depression which followed the second
election Of President Cleveland, ii may be
well to recall the facts. In his formal let
ter of acceptance, September Pc, 1892, Mr.
Cleveland emphasized the need of tariff
reform and made it the leading issue be-
tween the parties. Tariff reform is still
our purpose, he said. Though We oppose
the theory that tariff laws may be passed
having for their object the granting OF
discriminating and unfair governmental
aid to private ventures, We wage no ex-
terminating war against American inter-
estS. This has a familiar sound today,
save that. instead of tariff reform the
democratic slogan now is a tariff for
revenue only According to the Balti-
more platform, the tariff is not merely to
be reformed, but the principle of protect
ing American industry is to be excised
root and branch. On that platform Gov.
Wilson stands.
Ito go back to Mr.. Cleveland's second
term. the proof from his own writings
and utterances is that he was elected on
the issue of tariff reform Ii is also
a fact of history that Immediately upon
his election capital and industry took
alarm. enterprise became paralyzed and
business disorsanized. The somewhat
puerile argument has been advanced
that these deplorable conditions could
not have been due to impending tariff
REFORM. because they arose nearly two
years before the enactment of the Wilson
tariff bill. 1t should be unnecessary to
say that when there are signs of a cy-
clone the rational man does not wait for
the storm to hit his house before getting
into the cyclone cellar. The Wilson bill
was in sight above the horizon on the
morning after the November e-ection o.
1892 and capital and industry began their
start for the cellar. just as. L fear. they
will take to shelter again should the
Baltimore platform of a tariff for rev.
enue only be approved by the American
people November ..
The Silver Purchase Act.
..Mr. Cleveland was undoubtedly sin
cere in his belief that the alarming and
extraordinary business situation, as he
called it i'm his special message of Au-
gust 8, 1893, was due to the Sherman
silver purchase act, but the fact remains
that. after the act had been repealed,
hnSineSS Sifnafinn
became more and more alarming, and
American energy and enterprise were
PROSTATE throughout Mr.. Clevelands
term. being vivified ;gain with the cleo
ton of Mckinley and the consequent as
surance that the tariff reform expert
ment would soon give way to protention.
Depression After Tariff Reform"
..The effect of the tariff reform of 1884,
97, which, as I have indicated. was ac-
tuaIly felt from 1892 to 1897, is apparent
in the statistics of wages paid i'm manu-
featuring industries in the decade of 1890
19OO as compared with preceding and
periods. In 1880 wages paid
had increased nearly $1,OO0oO0,OoO over
1sso-from s947.953.795 to sl.S91. .22s.32l
whereas 19oO when the country was re-
covering from the blight of four years OF
showed an increase only to
50 ..S6l OtU-lndl lSs dbodA Siif''cV,O'O
over 1890 In the subsequent decade or
protection wages in manufacturing indus
tries increased to $3,42I.VisWo. The ex-
perience of the farmers is equally i'm
pressiye Their losses on the value of
farm animals alone during the Cleveland
.tariff reform regime amounted to about
$500, ,OOo000.
I'm this connection 1t may be noted
that our democratic friends prefer to dis
cover cause for amusement in the al
legged claim by republicans Of credit for
this years abundant crops. The credit
that republicans claim, with the expert
ence of fifty years to sustain them. is
that the republican policy of protection
for American industry maintains the best
market in the world-the home market
for the farmer to sell his crops in. while
foreign markets have been invaded and
gained for both farmer and manufacturer
to a degree never even distantly ap-
preached under democratic -administra-
ton.
Increased Trade After Payne Law.
1.-The growth Of our foreign trade dur.
ing three fiscal years of my administra-
lion has been set forth by Secretary
IL,