The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1912-09-14
CLARK ON The sTuNP. !.
Tariff IS the Chief lssue-How the
Parties Stand On it-Democrats
for Revenue, Republicans for
Protection-Prophecy Of Demo
cratic Victory.

Protection-Prop of Demo-
cratic Victory.
Hon Champ Clark, speaker Of the
national house of representatives,
made his opening speech in the
Maine campaign at Rockland, Au-
gust 70, and the following extracts,
as reported by the Associated Press.
will be read with general interest:
I History demonstrates beyond all
question the fact that in a country
whose institutions are based on suf-
fsage the government will be gov
ernment by parties, or as Mr.Speaker
Cannon is fond of putting it, by
/ majorities.'' 1t does not make par
/ ticle of difference whether we want
it that way or not; that is the way
it is and the way it always will be.
/ At the present time at least five
parties are in the field with candi-
dates for the presidency. Each of
these parties has formulated and
published a platform Of principles
!. which it proposes to enact into law
if it gets the chance.
What is a platform anyway? 1t
ought to be a plain and honest state
ment Of what those who make it in
tend to do if they are given the pow
Ter to 1egislate. 1t ought to be, not
merely "a continuance to get in on,
but a thing to stand on after the vic
4 tory is won. It ought to be not
i merely a device to use during the
campaign for the purpose Of catching
4 votes, but should set forth the se-
| rious intentions of its trainers.
Pledges made to win an election
) should be religiously carried out
after the election. That is the only
b rule OF political conduct that will
t DO to live by or to- die by. There is
no reason why a man should be dis
!, honest and a. double dealer in poll
tics any more than il the other. rela-
/ tions Of life.
While the platforms discuss and
4 Eefer to a multitude of things, some
a Of great Importance, all Of more or
less Importance, the American pub
:. lie is formed on such a plan that it
4 will not seriously consider more than
i one or two issues simultaneously.
II Both Governor Wilson and President
Taft in their speeches of acceptance
! nave made the tariff their chief topic
J, Of thought in the minds of the, vot-
ars Of the land Col Roosevelt in
II his speeches also attaches great i'm
ssSttporIanee to hes sui al has .
! plan Of his own for handling it. All
: I men are agreed that it is a question
!, Iof great Importance to every human
i ! being living under the flag.
Barring for the present Colonel
I Rooseyelt's scheme of settlement,
: the position of the two great parties
may be succinct1y stated in this way.
q The Democrats are in favor of a tar
: IF for revenue only; the Republicans
are in favor of a tariff for protection.
:. Upon this question the platforms are
: explicit In the tariff plank Of all
:, the Democrtic platforms the idea
!, of revenue only has been found, not
always expressed in the same Ian.
] guage, but always expressing the
: same idea. Likewise, the Republican
platforms all declare for a protective
/ tariff.
s TT will be observed that both
: platforms declare that the present
tariff rates are too high, and ought
i to be reduced, but if the taxpayers
c really want the tariff reduced, they
i isad better remember what happened
/ in very recent times. In 1908 the Re
5 publicans promised to revise the tar
Z IF downward On that promise they
: won. Without that promise they
S could not have won. Instead of reduc
J. ing the tariff rates as they had prom
i ised to do, they. proceeded to increase
il them, and because they increased
them contrary to their promise, a.
eIthe election in 1910 the people elect
: ed Democratic house Of represen
Il tatiyes,
.The Democratic house proceeded
e with as much expedition as possible
|. under the circumstances to pass Ger
tain tariff bills, which would nave
Il reduced the amount of money ex
n tracted from the peoples pockets -bJ
d the tariff laws by something approx
III mating $500, 100000 yearly, and a
il the same time would have provided
ample revenue to run the govern cover.
,lI ment. for. it should never be forgot
l. ten that where Uncle Sam gets one
dollar out of the tariff system, the
il tariff barons get at least five. ~
\ doing so the Democrats Kept the
faith Of the people.
Ill TN this contest, remembering
i these things, which one OF the two
parties will the taxpayers believe i
il tends to carry out its promises made
i in its platforms this year to reduce
the tariff? win the taxpayers be 9s
. lieye the party which violated 1tS
t promise on this subject or will the!
/. believe the party which performed
its promise?
aThe Democrats declare in favor q
! reducing the tariff gradually, SO a.
i not to disturb the legitimate p.lsl
0 ness of the country, for it is a thing
It Incredible that any sane man snoulo
6 desire to injure-eyen in the estln1a
i tjon Of a hair-any legitimate busi
d ness of the country. The charge 6
RI often. made by the standpat Repub
i lieans that Democrats, for some un
S accountable reason. desire to inJurf
81 the Legitimate industries o. Tn =,
c,x, S,,,arrrrf tn tjf