March 16 1909 Message Regarding Tariff Legislation

### About this speech William Taft March 16, 1909 Source (not specified) A special session of the United States Congress convenes to consider revision of the Dingley tariff. President Taft sends a special message to Congress urging prompt revision of the tariff. [Presidential Speeches](/the-presidency/presidential-speeches) | William Taft Presidency ## March 16, 1909: Message Regarding Tariff Legislation ### Transcript To The Senate and House of Representatives: I have convened Congress in this extra session in order to enable it to give immediate consideration to the revision of the Dingley tariff act. Conditions affecting production, manufacture, and business generally have so changed in the last twelve years as to require a readjustment and revision of the import duties imposed by that act. More than this, the present tariff act, with the other sources of government revenue, does not furnish income enough to pay the authorized expenditures. By July 1 next the excess of expenses over receipts for the current fiscal year will equal $100,000,000. The successful party in the late lection is pledged to a revision of the tariff. The country, and the business community especially, expect it. The prospect of a change in the rates of import duties always causes a suspension or halt in business because of the uncertainty as to the changes to be made and their effect. It is therefore of the highest importance that the new bill should be agreed upon and passed with as much speed as po
ssible consistent with its due and thorough consideration. For these reasons, I have deemed the present to be an extraordinary occasion within the meaning of the Constitution, justifying and requiring the calling of an extra session. In my inaugural address I stated in a summary way the principles upon which, in my judgment, the revision of the tariff should proceed, and indicated at least one new source of revenue that might be properly resorted to in order to avoid a future deficit It is not necessary for me to repeat what I then said. I venture to suggest that the vital business interests of the country require that the attention of the Congress in this session be chiefly devoted to the consideration of the new tariff bill, and that the less time given to other subjects of legislation in this session, the better for the country. Previous [March 4, 1909: Inaugural Address](/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/march-4-1909-inaugural-address) Next [June 16, 1909: Message Regarding Income Tax](/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/june-16-1909-message-regarding-income-tax) ### More William Taft speeches [View all William Taft speeches](/the-presidency/presidential-speeches?field_president_target_id\[26\]=26) [June 16, 1909: Message Regarding Income Tax](/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/june-16-1909-message-regarding-income-tax) transcript icon [November 17, 1909: Address on the Tariff Law of 1909](/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/november-17-1909-address-tariff-law-
1909) transcript icon [December 7, 1909: First Annual Message](/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/december-7-1909-first-annual-message) transcript icon [January 7, 1910: Message Regarding Economic Legislation](/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/january-7-1910-message-regarding-economic-legislation) transcript icon [January 14, 1910: Message Regarding Environmental Preservation](/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/january-14-1910-message-regarding-environmental-preservation) transcript icon [December 6, 1910: Second Annual Message](/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/december-6-1910-second-annual-message) transcript icon [January 26, 1911: Special Message on Canadian Reciprocity](/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/january-26-1911-special-message-canadian-reciprocity) transcript icon [January 26, 1911: Message Regarding US-Canadian Relations](/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/january-26-1911-message-regarding-us-canadian-relations) transcript icon [December 5, 1911: Third Annual Message](/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/december-5-1911-third-annual-message) transcript icon [December 3, 1912: Fourth Annual Message](/the-presidency/presidential-speeches/december-3-1912-fourth-annual-message) transcript icon