The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1915-02-26
THE OLD GUARD
 BACK ON THE JOB.


 (By Senator Robert M. LaFollette in
 La FolIette's Weekly.
 The return to Congress of, a mum Der of the old standpat leaders from states. and districts in which A1drch has been the ideal for a quarter of a century is hailed with Joy by special interest press and politicians, Bust ness is to be revived and labor is to be rewarded.
 Already the first number on the program of a new administration is I announced restore the Payne-Ald- rich tariff. 2 They propose to: @sres- { cue our perishing industries. ''Fs They are already counting upon .fa large increase in duties all along the Iine.'' Of course it. will raise prices and in crease the cost of living The con- sumer will have to pay the piper. But what of that? We must have prosperity at any price.
 And the Wilson administration has been disturbing business, Its prin- cipal offense is that it has reduced l the tariff.
 That there should be some busi- ness following a reduction of the high tariff duties was inevitable. That much of the depression was ar tifciaI cannot be disputed. Does any rational human being doubt that the tariff interests would f1ght,to the last I ditch to maintain. their unlawful profits? They had many times warn | ed the public that it would be unsafe 1 to interfere with them. It was an open boast of stand pat Kstatesrnen at the beginning of the tariff session under the present administration that I the protected interests would make the American people pay dearly for | their folly in the election of 1912a 1 that when a few million laborers had been laid off. and the balance had | suffered a. cut in their wages; that when the banks reduced the credit l line and people were made to feel the l pinch, they would be eager to bring l Aldrich and Cannon back and beg them to make the wheels go round, 2,
 The interests could afford to take a small present loss on a manufac- l tured depression to restore their l privileges of monopoly and huge I profits for another long high -tariff pc Lriod.
 And soswe have had our season of I.'business depressi ion''-a, small meas ure of 1t the logical result of tariff changes, necessary during the period of readJustment from the false. arti- l hcial, inflated basis to a sound, hon Il est, stable basis of actual values. There was no reason for a business depression of a radical or general character.
 T Democratic tariff duties on ethe 1 schedule of manufacturers with the
  I finished products, accorded to those Industries a fair measure of protec- I ton against foreign competition On :. wool and sugar and most of the prod ucts of agriculture, the cut was un- I warranted For the most part it is true that the farmer cannot be ma terially benefited by tariff duties up on his products; but upon many things grown upon the farm, he has foreign comp maintained un- der conditions which entitle him tc the same measure of protection ac- corded to the American manufac- turer This he did not receive in the q Democratic tariff bill. But on the } measure, and infinitely better ano fairer to the American people thar 1 the Payne-Aldrich law.
 The investigation of Taft's tariff } board proved beyond dispute thai many favored industries were en- ; trenched behind the tariff duties o1 t the Payne -A1drich law, ranging from [ one to two and three hundred pel cent more than the difference be ) tween the cost of production at home and abroad
 | No such tariff monstrosity can evel l be maintained. It may contribute tt } the political success of a few sena. : tors and members of Congress from pro-tarin states to contend for sucE ! legislation. But it is supreme folly for great industries to hope to eotab 2 hsh business security and real pros z perity on a basis of wrong and injus
 tice
 | Remember 1908, 1910. and 1912 : Like conditions produce like results i. Let that not be forgotten.