Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-08-01

"It was surprising to many of his hear
ers how expert he was at feeling the pubhc
pulse and the audience responded ent.u-
sIastIcally TO many of his observations. lie
was Mt his best in discussing the tariff. In
n mastery way he showed the falsity OF tne
Democratic position on the taritt-how III
1912 the Democrats utterly foreswore pro-
lection and now they were adopting It, but
to save their faces they were calling 1t an
anti-dumping law and not protection.
"Mr Hughes showed the hollowness OF
the Democratic claims on the tariff, and
proved the strength certainty and truth OF
the Republican protective tariff
Roland S. Morris, eX-chairman of the
state Democratic Committeeman, said
81 think the speech was extremely weak.
Mr. Hughes was critical largely of the Mex
lean situation and on that he had great
deal to say, but on the constructive side
he was entirely vague and always indefinite.
He had no constructive suggestions at all
to make
"As for his position on protection, | think
he takes a hopeless one. The Democrats
admit the necessity OF careful scrutiny
of the tariff schedules after the war, ana
there is going to be passed Il very goou
tarlff commission bill, which simply VIII
have to be indorsed, and If the President
makes the same kind Of appointments on
II as he did on the Rural Credit Board
everybody will he compelled to indorse 1t.
"The fact is, there is no longer any tariff
issue The viewpoint of the public in both
parties has changed so as to bring Virtu-
ally all to be of the same mind.
For years the two parties had abso-
lutely conflicting ideas about the tariff and
they both proved wrong; the peoples Ver-
dict showed what was thought of the ex-
treme Republican theory of protection IN
the Taft administration, and likewise what
was thought OF the former revenue only
tariff theory under the Democrats in 1894.
Both parties now have got away from
the old Ideas The people have come to see
that a tariff commission made up of experts
| can handle the tariff in the most expert
| way and base 1t on the exigencies of COM
petition, so that the country won't care
whether the board is made up of Democrats
| or Republicans Mr.. Hughes is simply try
ing to make an issue where there isn't any
and can't be any. His whole position is
| hopelessly weak
RIGHT MAN FOR THE PRESIDENCY.
State Senator Edwin Fl. Ware said:
~ believe the Republican nominee s
| speech fully met the expectations OF Repub-
| licans and ProgTessves. The former JUS
tice took up and discussed the vital ques-
| tions before the country in an able, and, 1t
| seems to me, a convincing manner.
| Mr. Hughes's speech is certain to sweep
| aside any doubts that have been In the
| minds OF Republicans OF an independent
turn as TO the best man having been nomi-
mated at Chicago,
'"The former Justices putting Of the facts
| as regards the Wilson policy on Mexico
| strikes me as very clear and l believe a
big majority of the voters will have no
trouble in understanding the situation.
81 also like the way in which Mr.. Hughes
handles the question OF this country's for
eign relations. While 1t might be said un-
der ordinary conditions that the layman Is
not fitted intelligently TO discuss interna-
tional affairs, 1t seems to me that the pres
| ent is an exception"