Page Ten
THE CAROLINA UNION FARMER
[Thursday, August 15, 1912.
Read the WHOLE Record
Review of the Kitchin Circular Entitled
“READ THE RECORD.”
THE WHOLE TRUTH ABOUT THOSE NINE
TEEN VOTES ON RECIPROCITY
AND THE TARIFF.
North Carolina Democrats had a
right to hope that the campaign for
the Senatorshlp would be conducted on
a high plane. That right was based
on the fact that each of the candi
dates occupies a high office in the
State and a high place in the party.
But, we regret to say, the Governor
of the State has from the beginning
disappointed that hope. He began his
campaign with bitter attacks upon
Senator Simmons. He has sought to
maintain it by essaying the folly of
"rying to convince sensible people that
Senator Simmons is “Republicanizing
the State.” And, what is more re
grettable, he has pursued, and is pur
suing, methods that are manifestly un
fair, and that menace the welfare of
the Democratic Party. He must real
ize that his most ardent supporters are
disappointed in him.
What methods we refer to will ap
pear upon a casual review of his
speeches and his literature.
For example, when the State Con
vention endorsed Mr. Simmons’ record,
the Governor did not come out like
a true Democrat and acquiesce in the
decree of his Party, but, instead, in
his Durham speech, he denounced the
convention, and attempted to make
light of its action. Evidently he thinks
himself greater than his Party.
Again, when the National Demo
cratic Convention failed to declare for
free lumber, free raw material, and
reciprocity with Canada, Governor
Kitchin let go his opportunity to set
himself right with his party, and at
tempted by sophistry to create the im
pression, in the face of the practical
Indorsement of Senator Simmons’
course, that the platform was against
the Senator. This was so obviously
a piece of special pleading and of per
version that the Governor’s best friends
must riM’ognize that he has proved
himself neither candid nor frank. The
party’s platform is not a proper sub
ject of jugglery. A bigger man would
not have attempted to create an im
pression so contrary to the spirit and
letter of his party’s National platform.
Our National platform was never
meant to be put to such uses, and T''
undertake to do so cannot but lessen
the resi)ect in which the Party’s decla
rations are held.
But by far the worst behavior of
all the Governor’s unhappy course is
embodied in his circular entitled—
“Read the Record.”
In that circular he seeks to make
capital of the fact that Senator Sim
mons, sitting as a juror, vottni against
declaring Senator Lorimer’s seat va
cant on the ground of corruption. It
is new doctrine in this country that
political capital can be made of a ju
ror’s verdict. It is true that upon
the discovery of new evidence the Lorl-
mer case was reopened, and upon the
presentation of that new evidence Sen
ator Simmons voted to declare Lori-
mer’s seat vacant. But this does not
justify Governor Kitchin’s course in
seeking to make political capital of a
juror’s vote. Nor is the Governor any
the more satisfieil than he was before.
Neither vote suits him. He seems
bent on his course—joined to his idols,
In that circular he speaks of the
vote for the South American ocean
mail service as a subsidy. He knows
that every Democrat in the United
States Senate voted just as did Mr.
.‘Simmons, and that not one of them is
more favorable to subsidies than is the
Governor himself. And yet he singles
out Senator Simmons as voting for a
.uibsidy ! Mr. Simmons has voted just as
every other Democratic Senator voted
on every bill about the merchant ma
fine since he has been in the Senate,
and has never voted for a subsidy.
The Governor’s criticism amounts to
an attack upon the entire Democratic
itody in the Senate.
lie criticises Mr. Simmons for argu
ing that the tariff benefits the farmer
—ns if that were a crime. So far as
we know, it has always been known
that the tariff may be a benefit to the
farmer. The Wilson bill carried du
ties on the same agricultural products
now on the dutiable list, though not
so high. Here is a fair sample of
what the Senator said on the subject
of the Farmer and the Tariff:
“When I am asked to help in in
creasing the protection on the
products of the two great trusts
which are largely responsible for
forcing the consuming millions to
pay G5 per cent more for the moat
and bread they eat than the farmer
receives for the products out of
which these necessaries are made;
when T am asked to put the farm
ers’ products on the free list in
order to purchase a freer entrance
into Canadian markets for the
products of the Steel Trust. Ihe
Harvester Trust, the Automobile
Trust, and the Coal Barons, and
thereby increase their already
enormous profits; when T am
askcfl to support a measure which
I firmly believe will give the
farmer no relief, but which will
'-reatly add to his burdens, whi'e
hicreasing the profits and strength-
( Ming the hold of these great trusts
uuoii the people; when I am asked
by legislation to ratify a treaty
agreement negotlateil on the part
of this Government by a rank pro
tectionist secretary, and which is
sponsored by a President who in
his pronouncement on the Payne-
Aldrich bill declareil it the best
tariff law ever enactwl: when I am
asked to accept this measure with
out amendment. T feel compelled
to iKith protest and withhold my
support.”
Let him rise or fall on that.
And then, in that “Bead the Record”
circular, the Governor declares that
Senator Simmons was “for protec
tion” on building material, quebracho,
iron ore, coal, pineapples, carpenters’
tools, monazite sand and thorite, and
for cotton-seed oil.
Senator Simmons never voted for a
duty on cotton seed oil, which was
and is still on the free list.
He did not vote for a duty on mona
zite sand and thorite.
He voted to put the carpenter’s tools
on the free list.
He voted for tariff duties of 7 per
cent on lumber.
He voted for tariff duties of 18 per
cent on quebracho.
He voted for tariff duties of 10 per
cent on iron ore, between 1.5 and 20
per cent on coal, 32 per cent on pine
apples (less 20 per cent on pineapples
from Cuba).
The average rate that Mr. Simmons
voted for on the articles named is
only about one-third the average rate
carried in Democratic Revenue Tariff
bills.
Read these percentages carefully
Every one of them indicates a revenue
—not a protective—tariff. Every one
is below the 38 per cent on manufac
tures of steel and iron, including cut
lery, knives, scissors, etc., and below
the 35 per cent tariff on wool and
woolens, and below the 30 per cent on
cotton goods carried in the bills passed
by the Democratic House and being the
revenue tariff standard set by the pres
ent Democratic House.
The protective tariff ranges about
50 per cent. Governor Kitchin knows
this. Yet, he deliberately declares that
the small duties voted for by Senator
Simmons above stated are “for protec
tion.”
The question arises, if they are pro
tective rates, what would he a revenue
rate? And again, if the rates were
made lower on these articles, how high
would they have to he made on other
articles—high above the .50 per cent
protectiA'c average—to raise the reve
nue required by our Government?
It is perfectly clear that the Gov
ernor is juggling with Ihe intricate
tariff question in order to create an
impression that he knows is unjust.
For example, the Governor must know
that the Democratic House hill car
ried an average duty of 38 per cent
on knives, razors, kitchen utensils, etc.
It is conceded to be a revenue meas
ure. Yet in no instance in Kitchin’s
“Read the Record” circular is a duty
as high as .38 per cent to be found.
The Crowning Instance of Misrepre
sentation.
But the crowning example of Gov
ernor Kitchin’s specious, unfair, and
underhanded course is to be found fur
ther on in this “Read the Record” cir
cular ;
Governor Kitchin undertakes to
show that in nineteen instances out of
forty-three roll-calls on Reciprocity and
Tariff hills during the Congress of 1911
(extra session) Senator Simmons
voted “out of harmony with his party,
and for protection. .\nd the Governor
names the page in the Congressional
Record in each Instance.
Having done that much, why did he
not name the subject votiHl on? In
the same Senate Document. No. 27.5,
from which he quotes the record page
of these votes is expl.ained what each
vote was about. ’Phis information he
omits.
Was it frank and square, was it in
forining. to withhold the subject-mat
ter of the vote?
Was the Governor afraid of the
whole truth? He. too. must “read the
record.”
It was Tennyson who said;
“A truth that is half a lie
Is ever the worst of lies.”
Let
Let us have the whole truth,
us read the record.
What were these nineteen votes on?
One was against the Reciprocity bill
—Taft’s Reciprocity bill, which the
farmers of the Unitwl States have re
pudiated. q’hat hill proposed to let
down the bars of Canada, so far as
our products went, putting our farm
ers on a basis of free trade (open com
petition) with Canada tchen seUin{I>
hut when hvyiup it left our farmers
paying for hoes, leather, plows, ma
chinery, etc., protective tariff tribute.
This was manifestly unfair.
Senator Simmons proposed either of
two courses; The first was to make
the Reciprocity bill fair, and then vote
for it. Failing to make it fair, he
proposed to vote against it. In his
effort to make the Reciprocity measure
fair he offered or voted for amend
ments proposing to put in this bill
certain articles purchased by farmers
along with the articles sold by farmers.
It is on Mr. Simmons’ votes for these
amendments in the interest of fair
play, even-handed justice, and a square
deal for the farmers of America that
Governor Kitchin finds sixteen of his
nineteen votes “out of harmony with
his party”! (The other two votes were
in regard to the date when the cotton
schedule bill should l>e considered 1^
the Senate, Senators Overman and
Simmons proposing to allow some days
for the North Carolina cotton manu
facturers to appear before the commit'
tee and be heard. 1
The main question is. Did Senator
Simmons, in standing up for fair plf^y
for the farmer, vote right? He is con
tent to stand on his record. Hero
it is:
Among those sixteen votes Senator
Simmons voted to so amend the Reel'
procity pact that if the farmer’s prod
ucts were put on the free list, then the
things he buys should be put on the
free list also. Carrying out this ide^
of fair play to the farmers, he voted
for—
Free trade with Canada on
Cotton bagging and ties;
Wire fencing, haling wire, etc.;
Agricultural implements — hoes>
plows, etc.;
Agricultural machinery, thresbinS
machines;
Portable engines, traction engio®^’
etc.;
Flour, meal; boots, shoes, harne?^’
etc.;
To reduce duties on structural stee»
cutlery, etc.;
q'o reduce duties on wool and wool^h
goods, etc. ^
(The amendments put some of
things, such as bagging and ties,
tlie free list, whether imported f''*’
Canada or elsewhere.)
’I'aft’s Reciprocity measure cal
free trade with Canada In live ste’ .
hogs, etc. Mr.
died
OC^'
Simmons deman*^^
that it. feed the packer out of the
sjioon and let salted and cured ^
in on the same terms.
q'aft’s Reciprocity mea.sure
to let wheat in free from
Senator Simmons demanded that
makers of flour l>e fed out of the
saoF
spoon—and sell their flour in the oP
eh
market.
It is in Senator Simmons’ W'
these matters that
ofk
in
Governor
finds his chief grounds of accusa
We may infer, therefore, that had ’ ^
ornor Kitchin l>een Senator he
have A'oted for free lumber, free ^
and free iron ore. If so, he must a
pile high the tariff on other artid®"
raise the National revenue. ^ ju
would have striven for free trad
these articles—not for revenue