St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1912-10-23
Taft or Wilson

1t must be evident to every one
who is watching the political situa-
ton that the fight is really between
President Taft and Woodrow Will
son. The Roosevelt boom has been
quieting down for several weeks. He
has not made the progress he ex-
pected in the West. All reports
agree that the farmers there are not
turning to him, they having come to
the conclusion that Pres. Taft and his
policies are the ones that will work
the greatest benefit to them. The
decision of Gov. Hadley of Missouri
and Gov. Deneen of Illinois not to
follow the Roosevelt bolt is having
great influence in those states.
Along with these reports come also
reports that the cause of President
Taft is making rapid gains. So it
seems certain that either Taft or
Wilson will be the next president
and the question for each voter to
decide is which one of these shall it
be.
1t should not be Wilson because
Mr.. Wilson and his party have moth
ing to offer this country except a
tariff for revenue only. This is
the same old offer that the demo-
Gratis have made to the voters for
the past half century. 1t was accept
ed once and brought about the most
disastrous industrial results. The
only change in the offer from what
they did during the second Cleveland
administration is Mr.. Wilson says
he would advise giving it to the
country in small doses. The demo-
cratic platform, however, says the
protective tariff is "unconstitution-
al" So Mr.. Wilson's small dose
proposition becomes simply prom
Use that they will be very slow in
obeying their Interpretation of the
constitution as they understand it.
In other words they will not obey
the law of the land but act as policy
dictates. However that is all a de-
fusion. The democrats if returned
to power will renew the efforts they
made in the last session of congress
to rush through tariff bills to des-
troy protection to American indus
tries as soon as possible.
The effect of this is well expressed
by the Bennington Banner which
says:
The tariff for revenue only seems
theoretically correct but is pracJi-
cally ruinous. All the great Euro
pean countries, except Great Brit
ain, have tried it to their sorrow.
Germany, France, Italy and Austria
after many years of depression at
tempting to follow the English free
trade theories have, one by one,
taken up the protective principle and
brought about a new prosperity.
England alone has undertaken to
maintain free trade and tariff for
revenue only. The result is that
England is the greatest pauper ma
ton in the world, and British labor
ing men have a harder time than
those of almost any other nation.
Only a few weeks ago, young
EngEshman came to Bennington,
and is, we believe, now employed at
the big mill. He told the writer of
this article that it was not the wages
in England that made it so hard to
live, but the fact that almost all in
dustries there are running on short
time, and give their employees only
from three to five days work per
week. This is directly due to the
encroachments made on England's
market by the protective nations.
There are some districts in Eng
land where from fifteen to forty-five
per cent of the people have to be
aided through public charity at
some time in the year, and Eng
land has more paupers per thous-
and than any other European coun-
try.
Every experience at home and
abroad has brought about the same
result-the Gripping of home indus
tries for the benefit Of other coun-
tries-and we cannot reasonably ex-
pect that the same old theory will
work any better here than in other
countries or any better now than it
did back in the nineties. Mr.. VIII
son and his policies should not be
endorsed by the voters.
It should be Pres. Taft. He has
never been connected. with corrupt
or dishonest politics The probe has
been applied mercilessly by the SEN
ate investigating committee and in