The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1896-11-15
FOR A NON-PARTISAN TARIFF COM
MISSION BEING FAVORABLY
DISCUSSED.
QUESTION OF ECONOMICS.
MANY LEADERS WOULD LIKE To
SEE 1T DIVORCED FROM
POLITICS.
REVENUE TO BE LOOKED AFTER,
If the Republicans Have Their Way
During the Coming Session of
Congress-.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 14-Just at
this time there is more talk thar ever
before of the idea of a tariff commits
sion to keep the revision Of the customs
duties out of politics as far as possible.
The first thing to do is to secure reve-
nue.. That can be done by the Dingley
bill or by any Of the internal revenue
propositions now being considered at
the treasury department, including
stamp taxes or playing cards and pat
ent medicines, additional tax on beer
and other revenue producers. Any tar
if revision is a labOrious job, and hence
the suggestions made by Senator Sher-
man and others that only revenue be
looked after this session and the sub
ject Of revision be referred to a commits
sion. This calls attention to the fact
that Senator COLON already has intro
duced in h senate a bill to accomplish
this very purpose. 1t is q bill creating
a tariff commission and directing the
construction Of a system of customs
duties based upon the difference in the
cost of American and foreign labor
The Collum proposition is to estab-
a permanent tariff commission of nine
members, distributed among different
parties, appointed by the president and
confirmed by the senate It is made
the duty of the commission to ascertain
facts n submit to congress tables
and statements showing, on the basis
Of the units of quantity and time, the
wages paid for labor in the United
States and in foreign countries in the
production Of all commodities which
come int competition of home produc-
ton to the injury Of the American la
bOrer n producer. The commission
is also to compute and prepare from
the tables Of wages thus obtained
schedules of customs duties on all i'm
ported articles which may come into
competition with American products.
In making up the schedules the tariff
commission is required to make use Of
a uniform formula, previously deter
mined, for each class Of commodities.
in accordance with the principle as
serted in the preamble Of the act, de-
claring that los Of the labor consti-
tutes the most equitable basis for a
tariff to promote domestic industries.
1t is further provided that the meas
ure of duty shall be the difference be-
tween the wages of foreign and do
meStic labor upon all imports in which
labor is an important element Of cost.
modified only by the differences in the
cost of transportation or by other es-
sential commercial conditions affected
from the cost. In respect to those i'm
ports in which labor is not an i'm
portant element Of cost, those which
are not brought into competition with
like articles of American production,
those articles Of luxury mainly of for
eign production, n n other foreign
productions which do not come into
harmful competition with the Ameri-
can productions, causing depression in
the wages of American labor, the tariff
commission shall prepare schedules of
duties for r%evenue, which shall be sub
mitted to congress as in the other cases
provided; all to be accompanied by a
brief statement showing the formula
used, the mode Of compensation adopt
ed, and the reasons for the conclusions
reached.
Annual revisions are to be made to
the schedules so as to keep them up to
date. 1t is being urged in behalf of a
tariff commission that as the present
could provide the necessary
revenue the commission could sit from
March to December, when the congress
could set to work on the report Of the
commission intelligently n thought
fully.
Many of the Republican leaders be-