Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-08-08

! handled by taking counsel with as
large number of persons as possible
because they touch every interest ami
the life of every class and region. have
In fact been too often handled i'm pri-
Vate conference. They have been
settled by very small, and often
deliberately exclusive groups of men
who undertook to speak for
the whole nation, or rather, for them
selves in the terms of the whole
nation,-very honestly it may be, but
very ignorantly sometimes, and very
shortsishtedly too. poor substitute
for genuine common counsel. No group
of directors. economic. or political can
speak for people. They have neither
the point of view nor the knowledge.
Our difficulty is not that wicked AMI
designing men have plotted against US.
hut that our common affairs have been
determined upon too narrow view,
and by too private an initiative. Our
task now is to effect a great re-adjust-
ment and get the forces of the whole
people once more into play. We need NJ
revolution; we need no excited change:
we need only new point of view ana
new method and spirit Of counsel.
i
in our time at any rate has not been
business. II has been politics. Tariff
schedules have been made up for the
purpose of keeping as large a number
as possible of the rich and influential
manufacturers Of the country in good
humor with the Republican party which
desired their constant financial support.
The tariff has become a system of ia
vors, which the phraseology of the
schedule was often deliberately con-
trived to conceal. Who, when YOU come
down to the hard facts of the matter
have been represented in recent years
when our tariff schedules were being
discussed and determined not on the
floor of Congress, for that is not where
they have been determined, but in the
committee rooms and conferences
That is the heart of the whole affair.
VIII you, can you, bring the whole
people into the partnership or not?
I'VE do not ignore the fact that the
business of country like ours is ex-
eeedingly sensitive to changes in legis-
lation of this kind. 1t has been built
up, however illadyisedly. upon tariff
schedules written in the way / have
indicated, and its foundations must
not be too radically or too suddenly
disturbed. When we act we should art
with caution and prudence, like men
who know what they are about, and
not like those In love with, a theory. il
is obvious that the changes we make
should be made only at such a rate
and in such a way as will least inter-
fere with the normal and healthful
course of commerce and manufacture.
Bnt we shall not on that account act
with timidty, 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
it should be downward unhesitatingly
and steadily downward.
THE nation as a nation has grown
immensely rich. She is justly proud
of her industries and of the genius of
her men Of affairs They can master
anything they set their minds to and
we have been greatly stimulated UNI
der their leadership and command.
Their laurels are many and very
green. We must accord them the
great honors that are their due and
| we must preserve what they have built
| uP LOT MS but Nliat ol lHe otieT sue
OF the picture? II is not as easy for as
to live as it used to be- our money
| viii moi buy as much. High wages,
| even when we can get them, yield us
J no great comfort. We used to be bet
ter off with less because a dollar could
buy 20 much more The majority Of
! MS have been disturbed to find our
selves growing poorer, even though our
earnings We're slowly increasing.