The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-11-23
PROPOSED TARIFF COMMITS
SION.

e1L04Ns
Among the measures that will be
brought before congress is Representa-
tive Stones bill creating a tariff COM
mission. 1t was introduced at the last
session. but will be urged at the ap-
preaching one because the Tariff Com
mission league is cilampioning it, and
this league is asking leading papers in
various parts of the country to sup
port it.
The proposed commission is to be
composed Of seven members, the chief
commissioner to receive $4,000 a year
and the others $500 each. They are
to hold office for life or during good
behavior. With such a salary it is
certain that they would live to be
centenarians, while their behavior
would no doubt be model for the
whole people The commission is to
have a secretary at $4,000, the chief
commissioner a clerk at ST. 800 per year,
and the other commissioners a clerk
each at $1,000 per year. All expenses
incurred by the commission, travelling,
etc. are to be betrayed by the gov
ernme2t or vouchers approved by the
chief commissioner
And what is the object of all this?
1t is ito take the tariff question out
Of politics and make it a business ques-
ton instead of a political football"
The same old pretense for all such
measures. When all the important
questions such as tariff, finance and
! ha
made a strictly business proposition,
the time will not be far distant when
it win be wisdom to abolish congress
and leave everything to commissions
Of business men.
The object of the Stone bill is said to
be to fix the duty on all goods on the
basis of the difference in the cost of
production in the United States and
foreign countries" Yet the bill itself
does not so declare. 1t simply says
that such difference in cost shall be
the minimum, but that the duty may
be IN excess of such amount when it
is considered necessary to do so in or
der to raise sufficient revenue to meet
the appropriations made by the con-
gress and all other expenses of the
government But what these duties
shall be is to be left entirely to the
discretion of the commission. When
! ever it desires to change a duty the
| commission is to notify the president,
and he is to make proclamation of the
change; his duty will extend no fur
Their The commission is empowered
to obtain information from manufac-
! tuners and producers, but 'an infor-
nation given by manufacturers or
producers as to the process or cost of
manufacturing or producing shall be
! treated as strictly confidential, and
under no circumstances shall the state
ments of individuals or corporations
be given to the public or allowed to be
/ inspected by the public" AS this COM
mission is to be separate and apart
and above the public, why should any
! information it may collect be given to
the public?
Is it at all likely that the country
will submit to have commission
composed of seven men, who are to
hold their positions for life, endowed
with autocratic powers over the bust
ness interests of the country? For
nearly a hundred years this country
has been divided over the question of
tariff and it has served as much as
anything else to mark the line of cieav-
age between parties. The people will
never consent to surrender the control
of the tariff to a commission, whether
the tenure of Office of its members is
for life or fixed periods. It would be
to surrender the taxing power into it's
hands, and possession IF the taxing
power is possession Of the power that
is pre-eminently that which marks
sovereign state.