Free trade--Political aspects

John Carter Rose thanks Theodore Roosevelt for his interesting letter. Rose thinks Roosevelt was wise to leave the tariff matter alone. Rose believes that most men are protectionists even though they claim to be in favor of free trade. According to Rose, advocating for free trade may win an election, but when the economy inevitably slows down, people are quick to blame free trade for the problems.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-09-25

Heinrich H. T. Haas forwards Theodore Roosevelt clippings from local Virginia papers. Haas expresses his concerns about the state of the Democratic Party and gives his opinion on many prominent Virginia politicians. He also discusses “New Constitutions,” Canadian reciprocity, free trade, and tariff policy.

Collection

Library of Congress Manuscript Division

Creation Date

1911-09-24

On a winter’s night a small figure labeled “Consumer” sings a Christmas carol at the bottom of the steps to a large federal building. Standing on the steps, a large, bloated man labeled “Special Privilege,” along with Joseph Gurney Cannon, J. S. Sherman, and others, present a formidable barrier to the sad and complaint-filled tidings of the meek caroler. The carol begins, “Confound you, merry gentlemen! Will nothing you dismay? Won’t you revise the tariff until the Judgment Day?”

comments and context

Comments and Context

“Waits” were part of an ancient profession once common in medieval and Renaissance Europe and England. Evolving from street musicians to salaried ensembles of pipers and singers, waits roamed the streets to provide entertainment, warnings and announcements, greetings, and ceremonial music at events. In Germany the waits were called stadtpfeifers (town pipers) and sometimes were installed in towers throughout towns, providing what later generations would know as background music during daily activities.