Evening journal., 1916-07-08
SENATOR SIMMONS, KEYNOTE SPEECH.


THE keynote speech delivered by United States
Senator F. NJ Simmons before the Democratic
State Convention Of North Carolina, recently, is more
important a political incident than the keynote
speech delivered before the National Convention at ST
Louis Simmons is chairman OF the Senate Finance
Committee and Of the most influential members
Of the upper branch Of Congress. Governor Glynn Of
New York the chief orator at ST. Louis, Is not inn
porant personage In national affairs. II is worth
while therefore. 20 note those portions Of Senator
Simmons speech which indicates his attitude and
therefore the attitude his party Congress upon
some OF the important issues Of the day
Although the Wilson administration is trying to
eliminate the tarn as an ISSUE Senator Simmons
made that the chief topic of his address, thereby nd
eating his own belief that the chief subject Of
interest to American people and the people Of his own
state in particular In this his Judgment is sound,
for there is every day accumulation of evidence thai
the tariff is the issue which will determine the mark
ing OF more ballots than will any other, or perhaps
all other issues combined.
In the introduction TO his discussion Of national
affairs Senator Simmons gave away his whole case
by congratuating the people Of North Carolina upon
the wonderful prosperity they have enjoyed and the
great progress they have made IN manufacture agri
culture and mining during tho present generation
He overlooked the that this wonderful progress
and prosperity realized under the benehcent in
fuence Of Republican protective tariff, and that the
when Industrial depression. co-temporaneous with
democratic regime closed American mills II It had
been true as Senator Simmons assumed, that Repuh-
can tariff laws we're evil 10 the American people he
could easily have pointed out which he did not do the
evidence OF the injurious effect Of Republican tarih
laws during the sixteen they were on the statute
books Instead he commented upon the wonderful
period of construction American industries enjoyed
From a Democratic standpoint Senator Simmons
was also unfortunate just at this time, in his as
serton that the special interests" did not write the
Democratic tariff few months ago this statement
might have passed unchallenged But not now There
is fresh in the recollection Of the American peo-
pie the story OF the expenditure Of $4,000 by the
Italian lemon importers TO secure reduction in the
tariff which would enable them to deprive the Cali
fornia and Florida lemon growers Of their legitimate
market There is too firmly impressed upon the minds
Of the American voters the story OF the activity OF
sugar importers, who frankly acknowledged that their
efforts in behalf Of the removal OF the duty sugar
was designed to he and expected TO be injurious
to the American producer Of and beet sugar II
special interests engaged in extensive manufactures
IN Europe and Asia did help write the Democratic
tariff they at least have the satisfaction OF KNOWN 2
It was written very much they would have written
Il il given the opportunity
After expressly admitting that Il &c ,b - -.
Democrats tariff law to lower the t,r,, ,,
enough to let the foreigner over Senator sir,on,
made exhibition Of change Of mind which would
have been credit to the vaclating propensities q
the Chief Executive of the United States At one finn
denied that the Democratic tariff had resulted in
OF foreign Importation then tried TO defend tha
law by showing that there had also been large i'm
portatons under the Republican tariff. then elaine
as a merit for tn Democratic tariff law that 1t er
couraged foreign competition to such extent
10 deliver staggering blow to unlawful combination
then excused the increase in imports upon the pie
that the articles added TO the free list by the Dem
Gratis we're for the benefit of the people Trying
claim credit for the Democratic tariff law because
increases competition from abroad and then denyir
that it had produced any competition injurious
American industry. Senator Simmons noundert
in hopeless mess Of Inconsistencies