The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1913-05-07
WOODROW WILSON
VIEWS IN
"The New Freedom" by Him
Touches on All Public
Problems.

CThe publication OF a new book by
Woodrow Wilson constituted the chief po-
iitical event Of the spring. second only to
his inauguration. This book, "The New
Freedom" Is just of the press. Follow
Ing are brief extracts from the advance
proofs.l
"HE tariff question Is not the
question that 1t was fifteen or
twenty or thirty years ago. It
used to be said by the advocates
OF the tariff that 1t made no difference
even IL there were a great wall sep
arating us from the commerce OF the
world, because inside the United States
there was so enormous an area of abb
solute free trade that competition
within the country kept prices down to
n normal level; that 30 long as one
state could compete with all the Others
In the United States. and all the others
compete with 1t. there would be only
that kind OF advantage gained which
Is gained by superior brain, superior
economy, the better plant, the better
administration; all Of tho things that
have made America supreme and kept
prices in America down, because Amer
lean genius was competing with Amer
ican genius. l must add that so long
as that was true there was much to
be said In defense of the protective
tariff.
But the point now il that the pro-
fective tariff has been taken advantage
OF by some men to destroy domestic
competition, to combine all existing
rivals within our free trade area and
to make It impossible for new men to
come into the field. Under the high
tariff there has been formed a network
or factories which In their connection
dominate the market Of the United
States and establish their own prices;
whereas. therefore, II was once argua-
BILE that the high tariff did not create
the high cost OF living, IT is now no
longer arguabie that these combina-
ticns do not-not by reason of the tar
iff, but by reason of their combination
under the tariff-settle what prices
ahall be paid. settle how much the
product shall be and settle, moreover
what shall be the market for labor.
The protective" policy. as we hear
It proclaimed today, bears no relation
to the original doctrine enunciated by
Webster and Clay. The 'infant indus
tries," which those statesmen desired
TO encourage. have grown up and
grown gray. but they have always had
new arguments for special favors
Their demands have gone far beyond
what they dared ask for In the days of
Mr. Blaine and Mr.. Mckinley, though
both those apostles OF protection were
before they died ready to confess that
the time had even then come to call a
halt on the claims OF the subsidized In
dustr.es. William Mckinley before he
died showed symptoms of adjustment
to IN new age such as his successors
have not exhibited. You remember
what the u%tterances OF Mr.. McKinley's
last month were with regard to the
policy with which his name Is particu-
larry identified. ] mean the policy of
protection. You remember how he
Joined In opinion with what Mr.. Blaine
before him had said--namely, that we
had devoted the country to a policy
which, too rigidly persisted In. was
proving a policy Of restriction and that
we must look forward to a time that
ought to come very soon when we
should enter into reciprocal relations
OF trade with all the countries of the
world.
Proved to Be Straitjacket.
This was another way of saying that
we must substitute elasticity for rigidi-
ty; that we must substitute trade for
closed ports. Mckinley saw what his
successors did not see. He saw that
we had made for ourselves a strait
Jacket
When l reflect upon the protective
policy Of this country and observe that
It is the later aspects and the later
uses OF that policy which have built
up trusts and monopoly In the United
States, ] make this contrast In my
thOught-Mr. Mckinley had already ut.
tered his protest against what he fore.
saw. His successor saw what McKin.
ley had only foreseen. but he tool nc
action. His successor saw those very
special privileges, which Mr.. McKin,
ley himself began to suspect. used by
the men who had obtained them &c
build up . monopoly for themselves,
making freedom of enterprise In this
country more and more difficult. I am
q Of those who have the utmost con.
hdence that Mr.. Mckinley would mol
have sanctioned the later developments
OF the policy with which his name
stands identified.
What Is the present tariff policy Of
the professionalism 1t Is not the ancient
protective policy to which / wouli
give all due credit, but an entirely new
doctrins. I ask anybody who is inter
ested In the history Of high protective
tariffs to compare the latest platforms
Of the two protective tarift parties with
the old doctrine. Men have beer
struck, students Of this matter, by an
entirely w departure. The new doc
tEina Of ne protectionist Is that thu
t1S1ik sho0ld represent the difference
between the cost Of production IL
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