The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1915-08-31
Democrats Pose as Friends of Tariff
Commission, Which They
Defeated.

With remarkable facility, the Dem
ocratic leaders change front on impor-
tant governmental questions and en-
deayor 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 drlV-
en- by public opinion. Preparedness
is one instance and creation of a tar
if commission is another.
After refusing to make adequate ap-
preparations for the national defense
and after declaring that the military
branch of the government had not
been neglected, the administration
suddenly reyerses its attitude and pro
claims its intention to make prepared
ness an issue. If they are seeking for
some one to quarrel with on that ques-
ton, they must quarrel with their own
past record. Now they announce an
intention to make the creation of
tariff commission an issue. They for
get that their own party has been the
only opponent of tariff commission
and that such a commission would
now be in existence but for their neg
ative votes.
The democratic party, with control
of both houses of congress and the
presidency, passed tariff act in 1913.
1t had every opportunity to place in /
that act provision for 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 tariff commission
but when on September 6, 1913, Sen
ator Works of California, republican,
offered an amendment providing for
a tariff commission, that amendment
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
Washington, progressive republican,
offered different amendment for the
creation of a tariff commission but it
also was defeated The roll call~shows
that every vote for the amendment
was cast by a republican and every
vote against it was cast by demo-
crat.
Not one of the democratic senators
offered a word of objection to the form
or language of the amendment. The
opposition was to a tariff commission
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 | wish to express
briefly my opposition to tariff COM
mission. | think, in short meter, it
is simply protection reduced to a sci
ence. Therefore, | 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 ruin
ed industries of this country, but their
belated acknowledgement of their past
ignorance will not inspire confidence
III their future actions. A tariff COM
mission 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 it's
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 mi
tial step in the direction of a tariff
commission by creating a tariff board
which the democratic party disccn-
tinued.
There is need for tariff commits
sion as board of intelligent ascer-
tainment, but not clothed with such
powers as may hamper, retard and
destroy general business in this coun-
try. The members of such commits
sion should not be subservient to the
president or any other one man The
commission should not have powers
which could be used to faver one sec
ton of the country or to reward
friends or punish enemies The pow
ers of the board should be definitely
prescribed and it should submit its
reports to congress and through con-
gress to the people of the country
Eurl,a iassr l,ox