Speech No. Five

Ten million loudspeakers had scarcely ceased quivering with Nominee Smith's remarks in Kentucky on the tariff (see page 9) than two days later Nominee Hoover set them reverberating again with further tariff talk at Boston.

Before lending attention to what the Democrat had said the Republican paid his respects to New England industriousness, to the importance of foreign trade, to the current administrations "measures to vigorously restore and expand" that trade, not omitting the Commerce Department's share in the work, with indirect reference to the Hoover deeds in breaking down foreign (British) monopolies (rubber, coffee).

Then came the tariff.

Despite Nominee Smith's declaration for protection, Nominee Hoover pointed to the Democratic platform's mention of an "effective competitive" tariff. Wading in deeper, but never mentioning his opponent by name, he defended the Tariff Commission as "a most valuable arm of the Government. It can be strengthened and made more useful in several ways."

Then he said: "But the American people will never consent to delegating authority over the tariff to any commission whether non-partisan or by-partisan. . . . There is only one commission to which delegation of that authority can be made. That is the great commission of their own choosing, the Congress of the United States and the President. It is the only commission which can be held responsible to the electorate."

This was rather a neat way of suggesting that Nominee Smith's proposed non-partisan five-man commission would be unconstitutional.

The tariff theme lent itself also to the one embarrassing feature of the New England visit--the depression, in the textile industry. Nominee Hoover said he thought textiles had "turned the corner." He also, surprising no one, said: "Any change in the present policy of protection would without question result in a flood of foreign textile products which would mean no less than ruin to New England industry, both manufacturers and workmen."