Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-06-17

cHuse tine Fr0RresNtNeN are NonlftiiuNu
20 tarih for protection. the ma nte-
nance of which is the great Issue OF
$ Americsnism In this campaign.
THE eagerness OF the Democrats to at
8 i tract to Wlluon the vote Of the Pro
gressives is a confession of weakness.
, 1t involves an admission that this is not
: Democratic country and that the party
! can win only with the support of the
votes OF those who belong to another polit.
ical group. The Democrats won four
years ago because the opposition was
divided No person who wants to under
stand political conditions should forget
however, that the division was among
those who are fundamentally opposed to
the principles and practices of the party
now in power.
No fraction of the opposition of four
years ago can be won over to the sup.
port Of Wilson unless its individuals turn
their backs on the principles which they
profess to believe. The quarrel which
split the Republican party has been set.
tied. The grievances of the Progresslves
have been removed. There remains no
| provocation to bolt the Republican ticket
| or to vote for Democratic candidate in
order to punish the men who mlsruled
the Republican organization. The Chi.
cago convention was as open and free a
political gathering as ever assembled
The nominee was the undoubted choice |
of the party us a whole-thc choice of
| the voters before that choice was ratified |
| by the delegates The Progressive lead
ers, who are interested in the defeat of
| the Democratic party. knew as soon as |
| Mr.. Hughes was named that If they
should run a ticket of their own they
would play into the hands of the oppo.
sition without gaining anything for the
country. They are arranging now to
cooperate with the Republican National
Committee. Scores of them have al
ready lined up for Hughes and the rest
of them are saying with truth that they
are seeking the course which will benefit
the country the most. They are agreed
that the defeat of Wilson is necessary
Before the month Is out all pretense of
an independent Progressive ticket and
organization is likely to disappear.
There are likely to remain a few dis
gruntled Progressives. The hope of
winning them over to Wilson was the
compelling reason for the selection of
Vance Mccormick as the Democratic
national chairman. If that hope extends
so far to include the expectation that
enough Pennsylvania Progressves can be
persuaded to vote for Wilson to affect the
result it will be unrealized. The Pro-
gressive party believes in protective
tariff. 1t declared so in express terms in
its platform four years ago, and the pro-
tective plank has not been rescinded. In
the platform this year the party declares
for a tariff that would build up rather
than destroy American industry
The Democracy is committed irrevo-
cably to a revenue tariff with all pro-
lection cut out. All three platforms favor
a tariff commission. But no Progressive
and no Republican who believes in
tariff to build up American industry be-
lieves that commission appointed by
President Wilson would recommend the '
sort of tariff which American protec.
tionists favor. And no Democratic pro.
tectionist-and there are many such
will have any confidence in a commission
composed of advocates of tariff for reve.
nue. only.
In the twenty weeks remaining before
election there is time enough Tor every
protective tariff American, whether he be =
Progressive or Democrat, to think the !,
matter over and decide to vote with the
Pepubicans for the kind of a tariff in =
which he believes.
Vance Mccormick may be a shrewd
political campaigner, but it will require
more skill than either he or Mr.. Wilson
possesses to entlce any protectionists to
support the party responsible for the
Simmons law. The donkey's
bray is a poor moose call. There is a
much better prospect for the Republicans
TO win the support of the Democratic
There are so many of them
that whenever their party has tried it's
hand at a tariff law the Republicans hav'. h
been returned to power by a large major a
ity The Democrats are tariff bunglers. p
Their theories compel them to ignore the =
facts, and the more damning the facts is
that can be assembled In condemnation of m
their theories the more persistently they
demand revenue tariff The whole
world is committed to protection with 1
the exception of Great Britain, and the :,
British statesmen who are able to fore in
see the commercial destruction of Eng 'e
land If its free trade policy is continued
have long been demanding a law which
would enable the Government 10 control
foreign competition with British pro-
iucers Before the war began that com
petition was becoming ruinous When
peace Is declared England is likely to
-h-n its back on Cobdenism and adopt
he policy which has made America great
and which developed German industry to
| point where British commercial suprem-
lcy was threatened with destruction.
Protection has been the American pol
cy ever since Henry Clay so character da
zed it. 1t is the great issue of Ameri- m
,anism in this campaign A
e