The Blackfoot optimist. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1907-1918, 1912-10-31
THE DANGER THAT
WAS ESCAPED
WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED
IF DEMOCRATIC TARIFF BILLS
HAD NOT BEEN VETOED.
The Disaster Which Threatened One
County / IN Connecticut Would
Have Been Experienced IL
Almost Every County In
axhe Unlted Akates. is,

Congressman E. !. Hill is one Of the
greatest, II not the gree est. tariff ex-
perts In the United States. He rep
resents Fairfield county. Connecticut
in congress. and he has recently pub
lished a startling document in which
he shows the effect the Democratic |
tariff bills passed during the recent
session of congress and vetoed by
President Taft, would have had upon
these Industries II enacted into law.
He lists the factories in alphabetical
order and shows in connection with
each one just the percentage Of re-
duction In the duty upon the article
which 1t manufactures. The showing
fills four pages of a newspaper and it
has not only awakened Connecticut to
a shuddering realization of the dan
ger it has escaped, but 1t has aroused
all New England to the menace of a
Democratic victory.
Mr.. Hill shows beyond question that
If these Democratic bills had passed
practically every industry in his dis
trict and in the entire state Of Con-
necticut would have been put upon
a free trade basis and a very large
proportion of them would have been
facturers from all over the country
who have seen this exhibit are writ
ing to Mr.. Hill to thank him for maxi
ing it and to tell him that they had
no idea how near to extinction they
had been. They had not realized the
deadly menace to their industries
which was hidden in the Democratic
tariff bills and they had not realized
the Unreasonable debt they owe to
President Taft for vetoing them. One
correspondent from Delaware writes
that Congressman Hills disclosures
| had "set the state on fire." and that
is hardly too strong term to use to
describe the intense interest aroused.
Another article which has recently
appeared and which has produced al.
most as startling an effect upon those
to whom it was Immediately address
ed as that of Congressman Hill, is an
editorial in the American Sheer
Breeder" This editorial calls atten
ton to the fact that neither Colone
Roosevelt nor Professor Wilson made
any reply whatever when asked what
their attitude would be on the ques
ton OF protection to the wool indus
try, while President Taft answered by
wire, calling attention to his veto o
the wool bill and the expression O.
opinion which he gave in that veto.
The editorial very properly draw
the inference from the silence of thu
Bull Moose and Democratic candidates
that the wool industry need not hop
for any consideration at their hands
and it quotes the message of Presiden
Taft to show that he realizes the ali
solute necessity Of protection in orde
that the industry may prosper, an
that so long as he is in the Whit
House no free wool bill can become
law.
The american Sheep Breeder
goes to many thousand men engage
in the sheep industry and it is not i
: any sense political newspaper.
l. is devoted to the interests of tn
i | oACSB lAOuoIIy, AOWSNCI, anu I'D ca
}. preston OF editorial opinion tina
?. President Taft and the Republica
:, party alone can be trusted to safs
guard that industry. can hardly ia
to concentrate upon the Republica
ticker the vote Of AL those vita,ly In
e terested in that industry.
The Democratic managers realiz
| ~ -
n party which exists on account of il
, attitude on the tariff question. and al
trying desperately to make 1t appea
that the tariff plank in their platforl
y does not really mean so very mucl
g. They plead that the Democratic pr
'e gram would be to reduce the tart
gradually so as not to disturb bus
0, ness, with the idea that ultimatel
the country could reach a free trat
, basis by easy stages-which il iii
= the old story about gradually redu
ing the feed which is given to 20,
"a horses until by dint of habit he learl
to do without any feed at ALL
l. But the country will not be decei
ed. The country knows perfectly We
J.. that Democratic victory would me,
y long period Of tariff agitation wi
nothing certain except that in the Ell
bills would be passed under wifi
there would inevitably be enormo
re importations of foreign products wi
nd corresponding contraction and stagr
ton Of domestic trade and manufs
It. ture. The country did not fail to Ia
lie note OF the tariff revisionSbills pass
by the present Democratic congre
~ under the boast that they did not &C
tain a line of protection. The cot
try knows that but for the courai
g GUS vetoes of President Taft the
ruinous Democratic measures wou
now be on the statute books and
all probability the industries affect
NJ by them would be languishing a
DIS thousands of men out of work.
1t is the knowledge of these ia,
l. Il e.