In 1909, Congress had enacted, and President Taft had signed, the Payne-Aldrich Tariff. The tariff law of 1909 was highly protectionist.
In the 1912 campaign, candidates, especially Democrat Woodrow Wilson, urged revision of the tariff law.
According to this cartoonist, the suggestion of a downward tariff revision posed a dilemma for Uncle Sam.
In 1908 the tariff was an election issue, and Taft promised to ask Congress to revise duties downward.
The tariff debate heated up.
The Tariff Issue in the 1912 Campaign
Tariff Policy and Politics, 1908-1912
