The Washington times., 1912-09-02
WILSON DECLARES
TARIFF IS THE ISSUE
AND IGNORES TAFT
Lauds Trend of Progressive
Platform, But Insists 1t
Falls Short on Tariff.

DOr ALL, N. Il, sept. 2.-Tnat the
Progressive party and it's Presidential
candidate, Colonel Roosevelt while
openly proclaiming sympathy with the
masses of the country, are pledged to
keep the tariff up and perpetuate the
trusts, was the direct charge Of Gov.
Woodrow Wilson in his Labor Day
speech here today. Most of the address
was devoted to Colonel Roosevelt and
his followers, the Democratic candidate
Ignoring President Taft and the Repub-
lican policies. Wilson again insisted
that the tariff was the great and over
Whelming issue of the campaign and
that the price of bread and other neces-
saries of life hinged more on 1t than
on any other thing
While protesting against any attempt
to inject the class issue into the fight,
Mr.. Wilson insisted that everyone must
look on the present campaign from his
own point of view. Parties, platforms,
and candidates. he insisted. should be
put under examination to see what they
VIII yield by way of progress. He urged
the workers to do this and continued:
Turn On the Tariff.
Most of the answers will turn on the
question of the tariff duties. Our OPP
ponents will tell them that If the Demo-
cratic party gets into power they may
look to see industry languish, wages go
down, and employment become harder
and harder to ind They forget that
Democrats constitute half of the nation,
that they are engaged in occupations of
every kind, and as has been wittily said
could not do economic murder without
committing suicide. 1t may safely be
taken for granted that Democrats are
not going to destroy themselves econom-
ically. All that is meant is that if the
Democrats should be successful they
Will lower the tariff duties, will put
many articles on the free list, and will
set the process going which will certain
~ destroy the special privilege now be-
ployers u e''-
These uncomfortable predictions
come from both the old-line Repub-
or the new departure who are try
Ing to build up a third party of their
own From the old line those forecasts
OF disaster. If the sacred system of pro-
lection should be touched in any part,
were to be expected. They have long
oeen their stock in trade. But they
were hardly to be expected from those
who had cut themselves loose from the
older connections and who were boldly
working to make new things out OF old
AND yet the predictions of the leaders
predictions of the veriest stand-patter
There Is the stimulating breath of hope
IN every part of the platform of the
new party, except that which touched
the tariff and the trusts
,Lauds Part of Program.
TN fact there Is thfsr Very Singular
feature about the platform of the new
party: 1t has two sides and two tones.
1t speaks warm sympathy with prac-
ucally every project OF social better
ment to which men and women of broad
sympathies are turning with generous
purpose, and on that side It is refresh
Ing to read. But that Is not the part
or their platform that reads like a pro-
gram. 1t is a Proclamation of sym
pathy, rather, an indication of the d.
rection in which the leaders would fain
move. The program lies elsewhere
"here the tariff Is spoken of and the
trusts. In that portion Of the document
there is an air of business, and a very
definite indication of what is intended 10
be done. and by what means. Let lis
see how it looks from the point OF view
at which we are now standing on this
policy of labor.
II may be interpreted in the light
OF some interesting things Mr.. Roose-
welt has recently said. Mr. Roosevelt
ioiVS HIS ueNOlSu dQnefenCe to the
principle of protection. only those duties
which are manifestly too high even to
serve the interests Of those who are
dlrectly protected ought in his view to
De lowered He declares that he is not
troubled by the fact that a very large
amount of money is taken out of the
pocket of the general taxpayer and put
INTO the pockets of particular classes of
protected manufacturers, but that his
concern is that so little of this money
gets into the pockets of the employees
] have searched his program thoroughly
TO see what he intends TO do to see that
a larger proportion of this prize money
gets into the pay envelope and have
only found one suggestion. He speaks
OF living or minimum wage for
women workers. Perhaps we are iusti-
ped in assuming that the third party
looks forward to a general minimum
wage law. 1t is very likely. / take it
for granted, that If a minimum wage
were established by law the great
majority of employers would take the
opportunity to bring their wage scale
g near as might be to that fixed mini
mum and it would be very awkward
for the workers to resist that process
successfully because it would be dam
gerous TO strike against the authority
of the Federal Government"