The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1915-10-01
SPEECH OF CONGRESS-.
MAN JAMES R. MANN
Republican Leader Of the House Of
Representatives, al Republican
Meeting in St. Louis, No.,
September Is, 1915.

Your State ought to be Republican
State. 1t ought to give its support il
Congress and elsewhere to the domi
nant ideas of the Republican party. Il
is your duty to your State, to the Ma
tion, even to the civilizing influence o
prosperity, to put this State in the Re
publican column at the next election
and believe you will do your full duty
1t Is the duty Of the Government, a,
the least, to permit prosperity at home
to provide means of defense against
aggression from abroad and to secure
the rights of American citizens and
their property the world over.
A proper protective tariff is necessary
for all of these purposes.
Such tariff should be the means OF
raising large amount of revenue, in
the main paid by the foreign exporter.
1t should give reasonable degree of
protection to the American producer
against the undue competition of
cheaper labor abroad. We cannot
maintain our high standard of living
otherwise. Our producers, who pay
high wages for short hours and exclude
child labor, who pay high taxes for our
! costly governments and our high schools
must not have their industries destroyed
by the competition of those who do not
contribute any taxes for our use.
The first duty of the Republican
party when it comes into power again
will be to write protective tariff law
and provide for tariff commission of
disinterested experts.
The business, labor and industries of
the country cannot we'll wait for a
tariff revision until after the tariff COM
mission has reported. We want to
start up every old industry and many
new ones at the earliest possible mo-
ment.
The tariff commission will investi-
gate and ascertain the facts more COM
pletely than has been done heretofore
and tariff schedules of the future will
be based upon full information obtained
by scientific methods. Tariff schedules
should be high enough to secure fairly
the American market to American pro-
ducers, but not so high as to permit
exorbitant charges for the things pro.
duced. In other words, the rates should
be reasonable.
The recent experiences of other coun.
tries bring to mind vividly the need of
our country to foster and protect in
dustries at home in order that we may
have their benefit il we should be en-
gagged in war.
The rights of capital should be fairly
we'll ascertained and secured. We can
plete investment of capitol in great and
new undertakings The markets of
the world are ripe for our picking We
need great sums of money in order to
more fully develop our resources and
spread our trade at home and abroad.
That money may be readily secured if,
and only if, its investment offers fair
returns Government, instead of en-
deavoring to prevent or hamper the
use of great combinations of capital,
should endeavor to provide fairly the
opportunity of reasonable rewards for
such investment. Large sums of money
cannot be used in furthering indus.
tries at home and trade abroad without
greatly increasing the employment and
wages of labor.
The rights of labor should be secured
and maintained everywhere in our
country. The increase in our national
wealth augmented by developing in
dustries and trade. should be- partici.
pated in by those who do the manual
and brain work as we'll as those who
provide the working funds. No nation
ever before had the opportunity for
industrial and trade developments
which lies before our country now in
this unexampled condition of the
worlds affairs. If we act wisely in our
own interests we will give situation
of material prosperity and intellectual
and moral growth to all our people of
every degree and class, such as was
never known before If the Govern
ment will only aid and not hinder, our
growth and development will become
the wonder of the world. But the job
is too big for the statesmen of the Dem
ocratic party.
While we are adopting means and
methods for our trade and industrial
development, let us also, in view of the
conditions in foreign lands, put our
house in order to defend and protect
itself against any foreign nation or
nations. Our wealth will soon excite