The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1916-06-15
A BOGUS TARIFF PLANK BY
HUMBU0 PARTY

AEcbluCHb VhbOn mas OEucIeu HIS
Democratic Convention in st. Louis
to put ipto It's platform tariff plank
which shall say. among other. things:
nece.s sGifp't subject 70 change hang ' 70
meet changing conditions In the
worlds protection and trade. Such
changes should be made only after
inyestisation Of the conditions at
normal conditions OF fair compete
ton between American and foreign
producers should be maintained by
an anti-dumping law. which would
competitive basis in times Of surplus
production abroad. aI
II the Democratic convention Of
1915 adopts that platform II will
write the Democratic party down as
the greatest humbug party in all
American political history.
A competitive tariff means moth
ing under the sun but an equalizing
Of American costs Of production with
foreign costs Of production. A COM
petitive tariff is the very essence Of
the Republican principle of protec-
ton.
And it is this principle Of protec-
tion-with a competitive tariff which
will permit an American industry to
pay higher wages than are paid
anywhere else in the world and yet
sell its products against foreign COM
petition in the American market-it
is this principle of protection which
the Democratic party has always
denounced as fraud and robbery
against the American people, be-
cause protection did not permit the
American people to buy the cheap
labor foreign products at lower
prices than similar products could
possibly be sold, under the higher
American wage scales, in this mar
ket.
In the Democratic platform Of
1892 were these very words:
We denounce the Republican pro-
lection as a fraud. q robbery Of the
great majority Of the American
people.
In their platform Of 1896 the
Democrats tried to sneak away from
the direct issue, but they did say:
We hold that tariff duties should
be levied for the purpose of revenue.
We hold that the most efficient way
OF protecting American labor Is to
prevent the Importation of foreign
pauper labor to compete with II In
our home market
Again, in their platform Of 1904,
the Democrats repeated:
We denounce protection as a rob-
berry Of the many to enrich the few
And the Democrats pledged their
party to make such reductions in
the tariff schedules as "may be
necessary to restore the tariff to q
revenue basis"
Four years ago, in writing a plat
form for Mr.. Wilson, the Democrats
went even further than merely to
denounce a protective tariff-a COM
petitive tariff-as fraud and rob-
berry," They declared in these words
that if the Democratic party wanted
to adopt the competitive tariff theory
the protective principle-it could
not in conscience and honor do SO,
because:
We declare It to be a fundamental
principle Of the Democratic party
that the Federal Government, under
the ows Constitution rs tuition. has no right Or
duties except for the purpose Of
revenue.
And now President Wilson, max
ing the platform for the Democratic
party, as he makes its legislative
measures for it and as he makes
everything else for it, proposes to
make, under the guise of an "antis
dumping law" a tariff which will
restrain imports that threaten to
wipe out American industries and
to pauperize American wage-earners.
What in the name Of honest
thought and truthful speech has
every Republican tariff been but an
anti-dumping law?
What in the name of common
sense has every Republican tariff
intended to do but to keep for
&gners from flooding this country
with their cheap-labor products,
against which American industries
and American labor, with our stan
dards of living, could not possibly
compete? What has it always done
except the precise thing which Mr..
Wilson's competitive tariff plank
would propose to do?
Was there ever such humbug?
Humbug, because a protective
tariff which either keeps out of the
country pauper-labor products, or
with a duty collected at the custom
house, raises their price in this
country to competitive level with
American prices, is a protective
tariff, whether you call it a competi.
tive tariff, an>anti-dumping tariff, o,
a glory hallelujah tariff.
Humbug, because though the
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