The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-05-06
"HAD FULL NOTICE,

The Democrats have majority il
both houses OF Congress. The radica
leaders show disposition TO use thai
majority recllcssly. in handling the
tariff, and without consideration OF
the facts which gave them power ol
of the pledges which they and theil
candidate for the Presidency made last
year.
During the campaign there were
protestations, frequent. loud. and long
thatsno industry would be attacked by
Democratic success, that American
prosperity would be fostered, and not
crippled, and that no one need fear any
damaging legislation from a Demo
cratic Congress. Senator Joseph H.
Ramsdell OF Louisiana puts it NJ
squarely to the Democratic party that
in putting through the tariff bill that
has been prepared by President Wilson
and Representative Underwood, the
party is breaking its promises to the
country in al these respects.
But it is urged by those who favor
the bill that no one has a right to COM
plain of the Democratic activity, nor
of the shape which that activity takes.
AS expressed by an Eastern Democratic
exchange, the attitude of the Demo
cratic leaders now is that the effort to
defeat portions of the tariff bill by
representing that to pass them would
create hostility in certain States
"comes too late and borders on the i'm
pertinent, 1T is urged in behalf of
this view that the tariff was extensive
ly discussed during last years cam
paign, and that the voters put the
Democratic party in power with full
Knowledge. and especially that those
who voted the Democratic ticket in
Louisiana and Colorado "knew well
enough what they had TO expect. Z"
All OF which is interesting as a bull
doing bluff, but it is far from repre-
senting the actual facts.
The truth is that the tariff question
cut very little figure in the election of
last year. The great dominant interest
was IN the fight that Colonel Roosevelt
made upon the Republican party and
its nominee. 1t was the Roosevelt
vote that gave the Democratic party
control in this election, and not any
vote in favor OF free sugar, free wool,
or the cutting OF the tariff on lead and
zinc. Those things were scarcely
heard of during the campaign, and
whenever there was any mention of
them the Democratic writers and
speakers, including President Wilson
hastcned to reassure the coun-
try, and to say that nothing drastic
was going to be done by the Demo
cratic party,
1t is closely bordering upon the in
solont, therefore, to como forward now
and say that the country had full no
tice Of what the Democratic party in.
tended to do, and that nobody has any
reason to complain of it now The
precise reverse is true. The reassuring
words of the Presidential candidate,
and of all the Democratic speakers and
writers, gave the country TO understand
that it could devote its attention to the
burning issue as between Roosevelt and
Taft without any peril from the Demo
cratic party. The country did so. It
gave President Wilson 6,293,454 votes;
il gave Colonel Roosevelt 4,l19,53S
votes; it gave President Taft 3,4S4,9S0
votes. On the question Of tariff it is
fair 10 count the Roosevelt vote aud
the Republican vote as for protection.
This vote combined amounted to 1904
SIS, which is a majority of 1,31l,064
for protection against the Democratic
theory on the unconstitutionality of
that doctrine.
There was. therefore, no Endorsement
by the voters of this country of the
Democratic theory of tariff for revenue
only. On the contrary, the popular
vote was overwhelmingly for protec-
tion. To claim now that the tariff was
the issue and that the people knew that
the Democrats intended TO pass drastic
tariff legislation and expected aud ap-
proved Of it, is an insult TO the public