The Lexington intelligencer. [volume] (Lexington, Mo.) 1901-1949, 1916-10-13

NCul Ol 5uGu lOduS' ~ maJ w 90 49,"
as 4. Az or 8 per cent, but not ex-
ceeding 6 per cent. / cite this as
a second reason why ] favor the re
election of President Wilson.
The Progressive platform declared,
too, for the amendment of the anti
trust laws, and the President took up
this matter with the Congress and
urged it until the Clayton law was
passed. Because the President rec
ognized and c~ontended for this
fundamental principle that labor is
a part of life, rather than a COM
modify, which principle is so essential
to the social welfare of the country,
and so humane and so kindly in its
import, l will give him my vote in No
vember.
We Progressives declared for a tar
if commission in the view that the
tariff should be taken out of politics
entirely. Everyone knows that the
making up of the tariff had fallen into
hands which manipulated it so as to
grant special privileges to some ia
vored persons and inequalities to 9th
ers. The Payne-Aldrich tariff law was
the climax of the old grab-bag fashion
of making up the tariff, and il was so
obnoxious that more than one-half Of
the party that enacted it condemned it.
The ~Progressives in their platform
advanced the proposition that the
tariff should be removed from
politics entirely, in the view that
it was purely a business question;
therefore, we favored a %non-partisan,
scientific tariff commission which
should be charged with the duty of in
vestigating the facts as to the differ
ence in the cost of production in this
country and in foreign countries, with
a view of ascertaining a true and an
equitable measure, after which the du-
ties on particular schedules might be
fashioned. The proposal did not nee
e~ssarily mean protection, but it meant
justice. In some cases a protective
tariff, of course, would essentially be
the result Of the investigation where
articles we're produced cheaper in for
eign countries than here because of
the lesser wages paid on the other
side than here. In other cases 1t might
mean no protection whatever II 1t
should appear that it cost more to pro
duce particular articles in other coun-
tries than here, so their importation
might not result in beating down our
prices. The proposal was so eminent
ly lust that ever the Republican party
this year has adopted it and written
II into its platform. President Will
? son, however, was in the advance as
/, to this, for he declared in favoreof 1t
a year ago. The Democratic party,
! too, has written the same proposal
t. into it's platform, but Mr.. Wilson and
his party have the advantage in point
Of performance, for under his leader
ship the Democratic party has already
! enacted our Progressive tariff commits
:. sion into law. And so II Is, II the two
. parties be sincere, the tariff is re
q moved entirely from the arena as
political question and is to be treated
in the future according to the Progress
sive plan along the lines Of intelligen
q business principles. This is anothe
reason why / am in favor Of Mr.. WI
/, son, because, forsooth. he not only say
= and understood the justice Of u pre-
= posal, but persuaded his party to az
i. tually enact it into law.
.e The Progressive platform declare
re in favor of the eight-hour day prime
D. ple in continuous industries, and SON
d three or four different portions OF thi
y document reflect this view. lmpen,
s, ing controversy between the railroa
d. employees and the owners Of the raj
D. roads came up this summer. The me
o. demanded an eight-hour day and pa
ic and a half for overtime. The owner
ID of the railroads rejected these d.
mands and proposed an arbitration
lie The railroad men refused to arbitrat
Il and insisted upon their right to haV
10 an eight-hour day.
s. The President said, as the e
" ightened opinion Of society has sc
fled the question Of an eight-hOur de
10 az right, It wasn't n for arbitratio
M but, indeed, as a matter OF positi'
n. right should never be so submitte
The owners Of the railroads contends
y. the whole matter should be submitte
IA and their proposal amounts to Il
same thing as in case n who shou
violate the Sunday laws would insi
~ upon the matter of arbitrating d
question in respect to this. The b.
,s ter thought of the world has settll
long z upon the proposition that
"a right TO observe n day in sew
he as a holy day, and this is true, viii
~. ever u religious views may be. T
matter having been thus sanction
~. by the concurrence Of public opinic
n II Is established as a right and thel
M by removed from the field Of discl
.ct sion as to propriety and likewise
nd purview Of arbitration. The Preside
was clearly right, according to t
n. hest thought OF the world as to tn
ev and he proposed, too, that the 9th
o. matter in dispute-that Is, the pay
re overtime-should be considered AFT
on an investigation Of the facts, not
os cording to the opinion Of either I
owners of the railroads or the M
'ed To do this It was essential that sol
investigation should be had to asc
~ tain what would appear to be a j
,or compensation for the overtime, a
,nt how great the burden would be on
railroads touching that matter. In
~ Far as the President denied the APP
nc cation of the principle Of arbitrati
as to the eight-hour day, he ste
r. %suuarely on the Progressive plato
and suuarely in accord with the
tied Judgment Of society through,
the country. But, as no agreem0
,iee could be reached, the question v
laid before Congress, and