The Birmingham age-herald., 1912-10-29
DEMOCRATS BLAMED FOR THE DEPRESSION FOLIO W INC 1892 Taft Says Trouble Was Due to Promise of Tariff
 Reform TARIFF ISSUES ARE
 STILL PARAMOUNT Taft Fears Capital and Industry Will Take to Shelter Again if Gov
 ernor Wilson Is Elected
 This Year

Washin gton. October 28-President Taft today made public statement in which he declared that the four years of de- precision which followed the second cleo tion of President Cleveland were due to the promise Of tariff reform and the dem ocratic changes in the tariff that followed. The President said the issue before the voters was clear, on the one hand pre- senting prosperity and real progress. and on the other a leap in the dark.
 The American people" he says, have more than once surprised those who thought the people were being successfully fooled, and l believe that a similar sur prise awaits our opponents on the coming 9th of November. In view of erroneous statements regarding the causes of the four years of depression which followed the second election of President cleve- land, 1t may be we'll to remember the facts.
 Tariff Still Paramount
 Tn his formal letter of acceptance Sep tember 2s. 1892, MT. Cleveland emphasized tho need of tariff reform and made 1t the leading issue. Tarfff issues are still par amount. Though we oppose the theory that tariff laws may be passed, having for their object the granting of diserimi- hating and unfair governmental aid to private ventures. we wage no externnat- ing war against American interests. This has a familiar sound Instead of tariff reform the democratic slogan now is 8 tariff for revenue only.
 According to the Baltimore platform the tariff is not merely to be reformed but the principle of protecting American industries is to be excised branch and root. On that platform Governor Wilson stands. To go back to MT. Clevelands sec ond term, the proof from his own writ 1ngs and utterances is that he elect ed on the issue of tariff reform It is also fact of history that immediately on lr,s election capital. and industry took alarm, enterprise became divided |. house, even paralyzed.
 Even the somewhat puerile argument has been advanced that these deplorable conditions could not have been due to im- pending tariff reform, because they were nearly two years before the enactment Of the Wilson tariff bill It should be un- necessary to say that when there are signs of a cyclone the rational man does not wait for the storm to hit his home before going to the cyclone cellar. The Wilson bill was in sight above the hori- zon on the day after the November cleo tion of 1892. Capital and industry began their start for the cellar just as l fear they will take to shelter again should the Baltimore platform of tariff for revenue only be approved by the American people on November 5.
 Cleveland Sincere in Belief
 MT. Cleveland was unquestlonably sim cere in his belief that the alarming and extraordinary business situation, as ne called it in his special message of Augua; s, 1S9S was due to the sherman purchase act but the fact remains that after the act had been repealed November 1, 1893, the business situation became more and more permeated with fright and American energy and enterprise were prostrated throughout Mir Cleveland's terms being revivifed again with the election of Me Kinley and the consequent assurance that the tariff reform experiment would soon give way to protection.
 Effect of Tariff Reform in 1S94-97 - The effect of the tariff reform of 1S94-91 which, as I have indicated, WAS actually felt from 1892 to 1897, is apparently [. cogent factor in the statistics of wages paid in manufacturing industries in the decade of IS3S-1900, as compared with the preceding decade and subsequent periods In 1890 wages paid had increased nearly Si00,0000o0 over 1880; from s946.973, 795 to xl, ,S91, ,22S, ,321 whereas the year 1900 when the country was recovering from the blight of four years of democracy, showed an increase only to s2,0os, 36l 900, or that is about s117,00o.o00 over 1890. In the suhse- quent decade of protection periods wages in manufacturing industries in- creased to B, s2703S, eco.
 The experience of the farmers is equally impressive. Their losses on the -1-- zf- .t Cleveland tariff reform regime amounted to about $500, ,eOooco In this connection it may be noted that our democratic friends prefer to discover cause for amusement in the alleged claim by repub- licans of credit for this years abund- ant crops. The credit that republicans claim, with enc experience of 50 years to sustain them, is that the republican policy of protection for American industry main- tains the best market in the world This market is the domestic market for the farmer to sell his crops in while foreign markets have been invaded and gained for both farmer and manufacturer to a de- gree never even distantly approached un- der a democratic administration for the Surplus
 Growth of Foreign Trade
 The growth of our foreign trade dur ing three fiscal years of my administra- tion has been set forth by Secretary Knox in a statement which ought to be read by every American who intends to cast his ballot in the coming election. Mir. Knox points out that during the three years there has been a gain of 5fi.311,- 095 in our foreign trade the total value Of exports for the fiscal year ending June 20. 1912. being In excess of other statistics Under the Payne tariff law practically the entire world has received most favored nation treatment
 American exports to Germany, alone have increased from S249o00,o0o in 1910 to s3o6.o0ovp in 1912. This is an increase of s5s0t0,0Oo During the same interim our trade with practically all of Europe has increased in exports se5.0o0,0o and our exports to Canada have grown from S2l5- { s9po2l in 1910 to s329, ,257. 3o2 in the year 1912. As Secretary Knox says, the foreign mar ket is a vital consideration in our in dustrial life. American Products Across the Sea '.Wherever we may look. we find Amer ican products forging their way into the great markets Of the world To quote from leading organ. The figures are almost bewilderins. They tell the story ] of prosperity which should not be dis sp<aSrr~~~<~e><~-~ 6G.~~nanraaA nn Fee Nnn0A