Los Angeles herald., 1892-02-06
DIVIDE AND CONQUER
The Springer Tariff Policy
Highly Endorsed.
Hon. David A. Wells Approves
the Tentative Plan.
By Separate Bills the Present Tariff
Can Best Be Reformed.
The First Step Taken Toward This End
Is Proposition to Place Agri-
cultural Implements on
the Free List.
Associated Press Dispatches.

Associated Press Dispatches.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 5.-The Springer
policy of attacking the Republican high
tariff by separate bills. has found in
dorsement from the great political
economist and father of tariff reform,
Hon. David A. Wells of Connecticut. At
the next conference of the Democratic
members of the ways and means COM
mttee letter will be read, not only
indorsing the Springer policy as the
wisest party course at this time, but
intimatlng that even if the Democrats
controlled both houses of congress and
the executive, the separate bin plan,
rather than a measure for general
revision, would be the wiser course.
That the gentleman whose works and
essays for years served as the chief
Democratic liter ature in the agitation
for tariff reduction should approve the
the ways and means committee, is
to Springer and the other members of
the house who have stood as advocates
OF the separate bill policy, as opposed to
revision.
Mr.. Wells, in his letter, referring to
the framing of complete new bill,
says: "No bill can be framed that will
not contain incongruities, errors, and
perhaps absurdities, which only time
and experience will reveal. In the hot
partisan discussion following such bill,
all make points exaggerated and used to
obscure the more important issues and
confuse the public. We cannot afford
to give the enemy any advantages in
discussion, or opportunities for befog-
ging the real issues.
"Again with a complete tariff bill the
friends of reform would have to meet
the entire force of the protectionists, ac-
tive and compact, through the attrac-
tion of further opportunity for public
plunder. On the other hand, under the
tentative plan. that is of comparatively
few issues, the tendency of those inter-
ests not Immediately affected, would be
to sluggishness and indifference"
The old maxim divide and conquer"
seems, therefore, to Mr.. Wells the most |
pertinent under the existing circum-
stances.
He also asks attention to matter of |
historical experience, full of suggestions.
which thus lar seems to have been over |
looked, and that is, that Sir Robert Peel, |
in dealing with exactly the same prob
lem, but from a British standpoint, |
adopted the tentative method and owed |
all of his great success to the fact that
he did adopt it.
Mr.. Wells then goes on to detail the
attacks made by Peel in 1912, AS and
'46 on the British tariff laws, and how
under the continuation of his policy,
after he left Office, the last relic of the
British navigation laws were swept from
the statute book IN 1852, and the policy
of Great Britain became wholly antag-
onistic to the maintenance and enact
ment of any laws restrictive OF the free
dom of exchange, or the imposition of
taxes for any purposes other than
revenue.
"And l venture to predict"
continues Mr.. Wells. "that if we
now adopt the same policy, history on
grander sale will repeat itself. Every
relaxation of the existing restrictions on
trade will increase trade, and the bles-
sing of freedom and exemption from all
unnecessary taxation will be SO under
stood and appreciated by the masses of
our people that retrogressive action will
not be tolerated.
Furthermore, by adopting this meth
cd and sending to the senate a few sim
pie bills enacted by the house removing
the duties on wool, salt, coal, lumber,
tin plate and the like, the Democratic
party will define and formulate the plan
and scope on which the tariff debate in
the coming presidential contest shall be
conducted. General debate will thus be
to great extent dispensed with, and
the discussion will be concentrated on
essentials.
'The masses are, and probably al
ways will be, slow to comprehend the
tariff question when discussed gener-
ally. but they will not be slow to recog.
nize and appreciate the effect of taxa
ton on commodities that enter largely
and directly into their consumption,
and increase the cost OF living and pro-
duction."