Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1913-05-01
KEEP THE FAITH AND LIVE.

Senator Paul O. Husting is man
whom The Democrat has frequently
commended for his wise and courage.
Gus leadership. In an interview pub
lished in the Milwaukee journal he
thus forcibly and clearly expresses
himself upon the duty of all Demo
Gratis, their representatives, in congress,
and the press, in II way of assisting and
encouraging President Wilson in carry
ing out the pledges Of the party as laid
down in the Baltimore platform and
especially in the proposed reduction of
the tariff:
1T seems to me that no Democrat on
any theory can vote against the lower
ing Of the tariff without violating his
pledge and regulating his obligations
! to the people. He should remember
that he was elected in consideration of
his express promise to give them relief
from tariff burdens. Instead of begin
ming to discuss the merits or dement's
Of Il low tariff it is the plain duty of
every Democrat, in my Judgment, to
vote for every bill that is calculated to
do what the party has agreed to do.
mo representative of the Democratic
party can expect or have any right to
ask that high tariff shall be main.
tanned upon all commodities raised or
manufactured in his own district and
favor low tariffs on all other commodi
ties. We have long criticised Repub-
lican members of congress who voted on
tariff schedules directly affecting their
districts for revision upward and only
favored revising the tariff downward on
commodities raised or manufactured
outside of their state or district Ger
tainly any attempt of the Democrats to
follow this bad example will meet with
the same criticism which they directed
against their opponents in many pre-
vious campaigns.
THE party is on trial for it's life, 1t
N"' N'iiihiit uii VI w vi IuhSIlNib anu
| still live, but it cannot commit breach
of good faith and expect to survive long
Once before the Democratic party had
the opportunity, in conformity with
prediction pledges, to lower the tariff.
and failed, This breach of faith was
promptly punished by divorcing the
~ tXt
years to regain public confidence, and
now are we going to commit the same
political crime in the same fatal way2
1.-THE Democratic party's theory ON
the tarill is either right or wrong. If
it is wrong il is about timc we found it
out and abandoned it II we are right
(and we are confident that we are right
we can not too soon put it into practise,
We have indulged in academic discus
sion of the tariff for nearly half II cen
fury. We can talk another half cen
tury and still be able to demonstrate
the pra cticability of our theories and
principles unless we put them into
practice. How can this be done unless
all Democrats ana all others who be
lieve in reduction of the tariff unite
in voting for the bills now before con
gress, and thus permit them to be
placed upon the statute book If these
measures are defeated the party will ht
driven from power because it viii have
convicted itself of inability and inef-
tciency to carry ont its own pledges, a>
well as it will lay itself open to the
imputation of dishonesty and bad faith
in its dealings with the people.
In order to retain the confidence ot
the people and remain in power, tn,
, Democratic party must put our tariff
upon a revenue basis and demonstrat,
e by actual test that II tariff for revenu,
1 is good in practice as we'll as correc
Z and sound in principle. For the rea
sons given it would seem that regard
less of the doubt or hesitation OF lacl
of conviction on the part Of amy Demo
cratic representative rs IL the wisdom
: of reduction of the tariff on this %
z that article, that II is his houuden dut,
to aid the president in putting through
> the Democratic program in accordanc,
! with the planks of the Democratic
= platform To refuse to do this, in IN,
= Judgment, would be breach of taitl
, and a violation of our solemn pledge
= which can not but react to the iniur,