The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-10-24
DANGER THAT WAS ESCAPED.
whs, Would Have Happened II Tariff
Bills Were o. k.'A.


Bills Were o. k.'d.
Congressman T.. ]. Hill Is one OF the
greatest. IL not the greatest. tariff eN-
perts in the United States. tie rep
resents Fairfield county. Connecticut,
In congress. aud 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 il enacted into Law.
lie lists the factories in alphabetical
order and shows in connection with
each one Just the percentage OF re-
duetion in the duty upon the article
which IL manufactures. The showing
nils four pages OF a newspaper and 1t
has not only awakened Connecticut to
a shuddering realization OF the dan
/ ger IL has escaped. but il has aroused
all New England TO the menace OF a
Democratic victory.
Mr.. Hill shows beyond question that
IL 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 very large
proportion of them would have been
Obliged TO close their doors. Manu-
facturers from all over the country
who have seen this exhibit are writ
ing 10 Mr.. Hill to thank him for max.
| Ing IL 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 Delawape 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 Sheep
Breeder" This editorial calls atten-
| ton to the fact that neither Colonel
| 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 of
the wool bill and the expression OF
| opinion which he gave in that veto.
The editorial very properly draws
the inference from the silence of the
Bull Moose and Democratic candidates
that the wool industry need not hope
| for any consideration at their hands
| and it quotes the message of President
| Taft to show that he realizes the alb
solute necessity of protection in orde,
that the industry may prosper. and
that so long as he IL in the White
House no free wool bill can become a
law. .Ibr
The American lSheep Breeder
goes 10 many thousand men engaged
in the sheep industry and it is not In
any sense politicar newspaper. II
sheep industry. however, and its ex.
preston of editorial opinion that
President Taft and the Republican
party alone can be trusted 10 safe.
guard that industry, can hardly fail
to concentrate upon the Republican
ticket the vote of all those, yitally in
lterested in that industry.
The Democratic managers realize
the deep-seated dist-ust toward their
party which exists on account Of It's
attitude on the tariff question and are
trying desperately TO make il appear
that the tariff plank in their platform
does not really mean so very much
They plead that the Democratic pro
gram would be to reduce the tariff
gradually so as not TO disturb bust
ness, with the idea that ultimately
the country could reach a free trad,
| basis by easy stages-which is like
the old story about gradually reduc-
ing the feed which is given TO your
horses until by. dint of habit he learns
! to do without any, feed at all,
But the country will not be deceiv.
ed. The country knows perfectly well
that Democratic victory would mean
long period of tariff agitation with
nothing certain except that in the end
bills would be passed under, which
there would Inevitably be enormous
importations Of foreign products with
corresponding contraction and stagna
ton Of domestic trade and manufac.
ture. The country did not fail to take
note of the tariff revision bills passed
by the present Democratic congress
under the boast that they did not con-
tain a line of protection. The coun.
try knows that but for the courage.
Gus vetoes of President Taft these
ruinous Democratic measures would
now be on the statute books and in
all probability the industries affected
by them would be languishing and
thousands of men out of work.
1t is the knowledge of these facts
that is responsible for the strong and
steady drift toward Taft that is -e-
ported from all sections of the coun.
try and that is the forecast OF a
sweeping Republican victory.