Prosperity
Performed by William H. Taft
Recorded October 1, 1912
Before all reform, before all
changes, before every other consideration and importance,
is a furnishing to the people the means of living,
the means of enjoying comfort in their lives, and
of educating their children, of making their homes
attractive; and all this depends upon the high rate
of wages, the great demand for labor and the continuance
of prosperity and good business. How foolish the American
people would be to hazard the continuance of this
by voting into power a party whose first declared
principal is hostility to the policy of protection
upon which our business is conducted. Under a Republican
administration, theres nothing to fear from
a policy of Congress in respect to the tariff or any
other economic policy which will disturb business
or frighten capital. With the incoming of a Democratic
administration, and if it comes in, its difficult
to see how it can come in without absolute control
of both Houses of Congress. I ask the business interests
of this country, I ask the wage earners--whether when
they receive the news the day after the election that
theres to be absolutely Democratic control of
the financial and economic problems of this country
after the 4th of March--whether even a mere doubt
as to what the Democratic party would do with this
power in respect to the tariff would not halt and
paralyze business. I ask them whether when the time
comes and we might reasonably expect the change which
is to take away the protection from our protected
industry and so injure or destroy them, we would not
see the prosperity which is now making everyone happy
fade away, and if we would not be met with those dreadful
symptoms of panic and hard times for which fortunately
only the older of the present generation are familiar.