News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1916-05-31
Senator Sherman's Speech

1.-THE Democratic party is now we'll it,
to the fourth year of its term. 1t began
with many promises. 1t will end with
little performance. 1t elected it's Presi
dent on the 1912 Baltimore platform
The country will defeat him on any
platform because he has kept none of its
pledges and if he had it would only have
emphasized the utter incompetence OF
his party either to write platforms or to
govern the country. The proper criticism
is that the Baltimore pledges were used
to get votes and afterwards abandoned
and ignored. 1t savors of obtaining po-
litical property on false pretenses.
THE Democratic promises of 1912 for
tariff reform have accomplished nothing
except to dem onstrate their folly. Under
the revision of October, 1913, neither the
rich have grown poorer nor the poor
richer. Neither the American farmer nor
the laboring man have been benefited.
The wage Garner has felt the increased
cost of every staple necessary of life. 1t
has far exceeded any increase in wages.
Our export trade receives no permanent
| benefit and our home markets are open
by increased imports to the competition
of the world. The Democratic tariff act
contains the elements of disaster. The
external protection of the European war
has delayed its natural effect. Credit is
claimed for vast export trade. The
activity of certain manufacturers and the
absorption of idle labor everywhere in
evidence in 1918 and 1914 ale the natural
result of war orders in a colossal sum.
" Contraband munitions of war, as
we'll as non-contraband during peace pc
RODS and war periods, are the tests. The
normal condition of mankind is the per-
manent level from which to calculate
the results of economic forces. From
July 1918, to Feb. l., 1914, we exported
1896, 52S, 900 of 80 forms of merchandise
directly used in or relating to war. For
the like seven months we exported of the
same 80 articles in 1915 $l,242, Az, 900.
This is an increase of $S46, Ss4 900 of the
war period of 1915-1916 over the peace
period of 1913-19 This abnormal in
crease in exports cannot be sustained in
peace.
'For the like seven months ending
Jan. 81. 1912, our total imports'were $9l2,-
199,616. For like seven months ending
Jan. 81, 1916, our total imports were ST.
097, 14S,991 An increase of $1S5,000,0 900 |
in imports in a seven months war period
as compared with peace period. This
increase in imports is not accidental. 1t
is the certain result of certain causes
when the principal nations exporting 10
us from Europe are occupied in great
military undertakings. The increase in
exports calls for our surplus merchandise
tracea5e to war uses. The increased i'm
ports are the result of free listing 10 per
cent of all merchandise coming through
the customs houses into our market
This increase in imports will rise steadily
until peace is declared, then it will swell
into flood and overwhelm our mar
kets, our employers, wage earners and
producers.
Against this unwise policy the Re
publican party sets up protective tariff.
1t frankly avows its purpose is to give the
American market to the American pro-
Queer, to the employer and the employee,
to the man who meets the payrolls
and the man carried on the payrolls
sustained by an American scale of wages
and an American standard of living |
The cost of this living has not been re-
duced by the Democratic free trade tariff |
act. Even before the war came, statistics
gathered from the department of labor
showed steady rise in the staples of
life. The Republicans therefore appeal
to the country to condemn the Demo- |
cratic tariff revision of October 8, 1913"