Daily Kennebec journal., 1916-02-16
Outlines Issues of the
Coming National
Campaign
ARRAIGNS WILSON
Following is the greater part
Of the address by former Sena-
tor Elihu Root at the New York
Republican state convention:

III Is "lr duty as the opposition to
hrinE M b"muclatic party to the
tdT Of ruhiic Judgment. to put it upon
is defense 50 far as we see lust and
Substantial grounds Ia criticise its
rpndt,t, and to ask the voters of the
country to decide whether that party.
ofganlZ'd as 1t is, represented as it
ha> hrrn since ii came into power,
has shown itself competent to govern
II" c"UHtrS as it should he governed
and whether its spirit, its policies. and
IL r"ri"rnanr" are the best that the
Am'u'%2 pcopl" r;tm do in the way
Il popular self government.
SIGNIFICANT TRADE FACTS
"tn the field "f domestic affairs
SOM tact relevant to these questions
tad already h-on ascertained when
ID August, 14l'. the great European
Var h"eAll. }ur!n2 the year and half
tt Democratic control of EOVernmen'
a pfrl"d "f profound peace there
rad h,"M steady decrease ir Ameri-
'al production, in exports and in rev
"aD"~, ana a steady increase in i'm
Ior;s and expenditures Enterprise
Rad halted New undertakings no
longer made their appearance. F,stah-
}shei business ceased to increase its
facilities OF enlarge it's fields of az
ton
"The great productive industries
Of the country, +he farmer, the
miner, the lumbe-nn an. the manu-
facturer. were Iaborine under
m'sfit tariff devised by the Demo
cratic party in a spirit of sus-
plc,on, dstrust and hostility to-
wards American business enter
Prise: and. with the disturbance
Of these great basic industries,
transportation and commerce had
become dull and despondent. The
Democratic tariff had been framed
upon an avowed reputation Of all
protection however moderate and
reasonable: and because all pro-
lection was repudated, practical
y all information from competent
witnesses as to the effect new pro-
visions would have upon business
was rejected. The Tariff Commits
sion created under Republican
legislation to ascertain the facts
upon which tariff laws should be
based was driven out of office and
no substitute was provided.
With self satisfied complacency the
Democratic Congress assumed that
me theory Of a tariff for revenue onl!
was satisfactory substitute for
knowledge Of business conditions in
'he framing Of a customs law. and
'hey made tariff which stopped the
development Of business alcng all the
great lines of production and also
ldlled to produce revenue. The men
VINO represented the Democratic party
IN Washington had been so long de-
canning against those whom they
considered the heneficiaries of the
protective tariff that their hostility
extended 10 American business itself
ana to the men who conducted
It. All profitable enterprise was under
suspicion. Government had no sym
pathy with it, no desire to promote it,
no sense Of responsibility to protect it.
mere was nervous dread lest some
''us should make money. Envy of busi-
"ess success and the phrases of the dem
aeosue We're potent clements in the
RAINING of legislation and the admins
'ation of the laws
l' was with Just cause that the en-
'V'pF!se Of the country halted timid and
''soiute, because it felt and feared the
hostility Of government
LESSON UNCHANGED By WAR
me great war has not chanqed
lesson kal af~
earned when it began. It has but
ooscured further demonstration.
continued on Page e-CoIumn y