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The Farmer's Interest in Government
BECAUSE the farmer combines in one
person, the occupation of worker,
manufacturer and merchant, his in
terest in political matters and the effects of
governmental policies, is more'than that of
any other individual.
And because his mode of life renders him
free from the passions and prejudices of men
in other occupations, he is more open-minded
than most men are.
Also, he knows the value of facts —as op
posed to fancies, and he judges men and
affairs by results shown by the harvest
of accomplishment.
No farmer need be told that under the
present administration greater prosperity
has existed upon the farm than has existed
in the same period of time in the history
of this country. The natural question in
the minds of all of us is:
Do we want to change conditions by a
change in administration?
Mr. Taft never has made any glaring
promises that he would do any special favors
for the farmer, nor has the farmer asked
such. The farmer only wants justice. Mr.
Taft has a judicial mind, and, always, in
administrative affairs, he has kept in mind
justice.
The most truthful accusation against Mr.
Taft is that he is not a politician. He has
had political advice in plenty, and he has
been repeatedly told when he advocated
certain measures, that such action might
mean his political death. His invariable
answer has been that the one consideration
he had in mind was:
"Is this the right thing to do?"
Tariff Revision
On no subject has Mr. Taft been criti
cized more freely by his opponents than on
the subject of the tariff.
Right here it is well to state that Mr. Taft
has strictly adhered to his promise of a down
ward revision of the tariff while maintaining
the protective principle.
For the first time, a President of the United
States has taken decisive and effective steps
to remove the question of tariff tinkering
from politics.
Against the opposition of the politicians
of both parties, he established a non-parti
san tariff board or commission, whose special
duty was to ascertain the difference between
cost of production at home and abroad.
Its duty was to make such a report that
a schedule could be framed which would
take care of the difference in cost and permit
manufacturing to be carried on in this country.
Before this tariff commission reported, a
job lot of political, vote-getting measures
were presented to Mr. Taft for signature.
The President promptly vetoed these bills.
The facts afterwards presented to him,
by the Tariff Board, clearly showed that
if these "pop-gun" bills had become laws, im
measurable injustice and injury would have
been inflicted upon many American Industries.
Anyone who will read President Taft's
messages, in which h< stated his reasons for
these vetoes, can ascertain these facts for
himself.
The President vetoed these bills after he
bad been warned by political friends that
*The R>anclv;
if he did so it would mean the end of his
political life.
The interest of the farmer as worker, manu
facturer and merchant, is in the maintaining
of the home market.
The home manufactories built up under
the protective policy have created the home
market.
It is the policy of the Republican party to
maintain this protective principle, and by an
intelligent tariff commission, recommend re
ductions in the tariff in the interests of all the
people where these reductions can be made
without injuring our local industries. If it
were not for our local manufactories, the
farmer would be receiving one-half what he
is now getting for his products.
The Democrats claim that the farmer is
paying an excessive tariff tax and selling his
goods in an open market.
As an actual matter of fact, we export but
4 per cent, of the wheat raised in this country
a little over 2 per cent, of the corn raised, and
less than 1 per cent, of oats. It is the protec
tive policy of the present administration
which has fostered local manufacture, so
that we consume at home practically all
of the farmers' produce.
The desirability of the home market is
recognized by every civilized nation, and
even England, which is called a free trade
country, values the home market so highly
that a law was recently passed in that coun
try making it necessary for manufacturers of
American goods who manufacture under
patents to locate branch factories in England
to protect their patents.
Since this law was passed, many American
manufacturers have been compelled to erect
factories in England.
Hence it is seen that England is only a free
trade country when she can manufacture
cheaper than we can. It is the home market
that every government seeks to foster.
The home market is the farmers' market.
* * *
Most important in connection with this
tariff question is to have information ob
tained by a tariff board, non-partisan and
scientific.
Then we secure a tariff which represents
just the difference between the cost of pro
duction abroad and at home.
President Taft created this board; fought
for it; worked for it, and was guided by it,
and every sane man knows that such a board
is the only body of men who can properly
develop the essential facts.
A permanent tariff commission—a bill for
which received the vote of every Republican
in the last House, but which was defeated by
a solid Democratic vote —should be estab
lished. ' Re-elect President Taft and give him
a Republican Congress and it will be. Then
we can revise our tariffs, as other countries
do, fairly, justly and upon a scientific basis.
Trust Prices
It has remained for President Taft's ad
ministration to uncover causes of high prices
on certain manufactured goods and to expose
trust methods which have been wrongly at
tributed to the tariff.
In completing and bringing to a successful
issue cases which his predecessor started (and
now says it was no use to start) certain facts
were disclosed and the President promptly
took steps to correct evils that were apparent.
20
Certain practices were in vogue under the
protection of the patent laws. By a special
message to Congress, Mr. Taft asked for
amendments to these laws.
In his report recommending such a law ; s
the President requested, the Chairman of the
Committee on Patents gives the following
explanation of the purposes of the different
clauses:
"Clause (i) is directed against the practice of
temporary cut-throat competition so persistently
pursued by the Standard Oil and Tobacco Trusts.
"Clause (j). This clause is designed to prevent
the illegal and immoral methods so frequently
pursued by the Standard Oil and Tobacco Trusts
of illegally securing secret information as an
instrument for preventing competition."
The report quotes a number of court de
cisions—two of which are very significant,
and from which the following extracts are
taken:
"That one of the parties had acquired over 100
patents pertaining to straw stackers."
Another, "was charged with having acquired 85
patents on spring-tooth harrows."
It isn't the tariff laws that need tinkering
in such cases. It is the patent laws that
need amending.
Mr. Taft has recommended a revision to
correct existing patent evils, and perhaps the
strong opposition to him of the Farm Ma
chinery Trusts and the cordial support of
these interests for the Third Term candidate
may have an explanation in this direction.
Control of Trusts
The Taft administration has made it un
pleasant for the gentlemen who operate illegal
combines and these gentlemen now want
some one to "control" them.
They want to be told just what they can do
and whom they can. "do," —and the Third
Term Party has promised to tell them this.
The Taft administration plays no favorites.
It demands that all business be honest, and
then it pledges its best efforts to make all
honest business prosperous.
* * *
Another point to present to the people of
this country:
The present incumbent of the White House
has never had his word questioned.
He has never felt under the necessity of
calling his opponents bad names nor applying
any epithets. His word never has been dis
puted —either his private statements or his
public utterances.
Mr. Taft doesn't try to fool the people.
He doesn't go out and pitch a few forks of
hay to carry the idea to the farmer that he is
"one of us." Neither does he get his picture
taken hacking at a tree* with an ax —in order
to have campaign material.
Mr. Taft is a sane, able, dignified gentle
man.
♦ * *
Mr. Taft stands for an effective Parcels
Post.
Mr. Taft is for every advanced form of
governmental administration for the benefit
and advantage of the whole people.
REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE
Charles D. Hilles, Chairman
James B. Reynolds, Secretary
