Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1915-08-26
Thursday, August rs, 1915.
Shifty Democracy.


With remarkable facility. Demo-
cratic leaders change front on impor-
tant governmental questions and en-
deavor to delude the American people
into the notion that they have always
been advocates Of the doctrines to
the support Of which they have been
driven by public opinion. Prepared.
ness is one instance and creation OF
tariff commission is another.
After refusing to make adequate
appropriations for the national de-
Tense and after declaring that TIN.
military branch of the government
had not been neglected, the admins
tration suddenly reverses its attitude
and proclaims it's intention to make
preparedness an issue. If they are
seeking for some one to quarrel with
on that question, they must quarrel
with their own past record. Now
they announce an intention to make
the creation of a tariff commission an
issue. They forget that their own
party has been the only opponent Of
a tariff commission and that such a
commission would now be in existence
but for their negative votes.
The Democratic party, with control
of both houses of Congress and the
Presidency, passed a tariff act in 1913.
1t had every opportunity to place in
that act a provision for a tariff COM
mission of any form or kind it might
choose. The Democratic Congress not
only failed to incorporate in that law
any provision for a tariff commission
but when on September 6, 1913, Sena-
tor Work of California, Republican,
offered an amendment providing
for a tariff commission, that amend
ment was defeated, every vote for
it being cast by Republican and
every vote against it cast by a
Democrat Later in the same day
Senator Poindexter of Washing
ton, Progressive Republican, offered
a different amendment for the Gre
alton of a tariff commission but it
also was defeated. The roll call
shows that every vote for the amend
ment was cast by a Republican and
every vote against it was cast by a
Democrat.
offered a word of objection to the
form or language of the amendment.
The opposition was to a tariff COM
mission in any form. Senator John
Sharp Williams, of Mississippi. voiced
what was apparently the opinion of
the Democrats of the Senate when he
said.
Mr. President. I wish to express
briefly my opposition to tariff COM
mission. / think, in short meter. it is
simply protection reduced to science.
Therefore, 1 do not see how Democrats
can support it."
The unsatisfactory consequences Of
their tariff legislation may have con-
WINGED them that scientific protection
would help restore the broken or
ruined industries Of this country, but
their belated acknowledgement of
their past ignorance will not inspire
confidence in their future actions. A
tariff commission created by them
would be formed for the purpose of
defeating rather than establishing
protection to American labor and
capital.
The Democratic party, both in its
platform and its performances, Is
against either protection or a tariff
commission. The Republican party
has always stood for protection and
in the tariff act of 1909 made an initial
step in the direction of a tariff COM
mission by creating tariff board
which the Democratic party discon-
tinued.
There is need for a tariff commits
sion as a board Of intelligent ascer>
tainment, but not clothed with suci.
powers as may hamper, retard and
destroy general business in this coun-
try. The members of such a com.
mission should not be subservient to
the President or any other one man.
The commission should not have
powers which could be used to favor
one section Of the country or to re.
ward friends or punish enemies. The
powers of the board should be def
nitely prescribed and it should submit
its reports to Congress and through
Congress to the people Of the country.
while tho swat-the-fiy movement is
several years old. the flies are acting
as though they never heard of II, saws