Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1901-06-07
STANDS BY THE TARIFF
Tayler of Ohio Says 1t Is Right
eous and Just as Enacted
in the DingIey Law.
SUPERIOR NEED SUPERIOR PAY
Is Opposed to- Trusts and Doesn't Be-
Iieve Protection Helps Them Ma
terially-Gunton's Views

Washington. June THE indus
trial commission. ut its session yeSter-
day. considered the tariff question,
with incidental reference TO trusts. the
witnesses being Representative Robert
w. Tayler, OF Ohio. aud DIR. George
Gunton, president OF the New York
Institute OF Social Economics. Tayler
took the position that any discussion
in congress of the tariff at this time
would have a damaging effect upon
the country He said the Dingley law
was the most equitable tariff law the
United States has ever had. He took
decided position against trusts. and
said that they are not foStered by the
protective tarif1. though some might
he incidentally benefited: the sun
might cause weeds 10 grow. Tayler
also said that he believed in the prin-
ciple of reciprocity. but that he did
not indorSe any of the recently nesoti-
ated reciprocity treaties.
Lays Down a General Principle.
Tayler declared the general principle
that the history of the country for the
past few years and the present con
ditions demand that there should not
he the slightest relaxing of the tariff
principle as now embodied in the Ding
ley law. The relation of the tariff 10
trusts. he said. is only incidental.
The Dingley law embOdies the idea
that United States civilization is on n
higher plane than any other. and re-
quires higher reward for its labor to
maintain that excellence. Whenever
the labor cost is greater than else
where ii is necessary that there should
be an equanZing influence, such as the
Dingley law. Primarily. therefore, the
protective tariff law was in the inter
est Of labor. Even the farmer, he
said. gets reciprocal benefit.
The Farmer and the Steel Tarin.
How is the farmer benefited 10y the
tariff on steel:" asked Colonel Living
stOn.
lin the first place. replied the wit
ness, there is not much tariff on iron
and steel except possibly on tinplate
We pay out in wages not less than
S2O.OOOOOO more annually than any
other country. That means that the con
suminG power of the American people
at home is increased To that extent.
and ! think that the effect of that in
creased consumption is sufficient to re-
coup the farmer for any supposed in
crease of the cost TO him of iron and
steel articles which he may purchase" 8"
Has No Remedy for Trusts.
Tayler said that distrustful as he
was of trusts. he had no remedy To
suggest. He did not accept the the
ory that the trusts alone could he
trusted to reduce the cost of commodi-
ties. Instancing the United States
Steel company, he said that its securi-
ties amount to- 81 800. 900. 900. while the
cost had not been Oue-third that
amount He had no doubt that the
holders of those securities would de-
mand returns upon them.
Opinions OF Dr. Gunton.
DIR. GuntOn devoted himself eSpc-
ciaily To replying to an argument re-
Gently made before the commission by
Edward Atkinson for frecr trade. Re
ferring TO Atkinson. he said Atkin-
sons views were all born OF theory.
and that when the opinion got abroad
that theories akin to AtkinSon'S were
about to he enacted into law there
came near being general bankruptcy.
Speaking of the strike of the machin-
lists, he said il was perfectly right. rs
he believed that labor was justified
in organizing a combine for the pro
lection of its Interests He said. how
ever. that the maChinistS were blame
worthy i'm that they had agreed To
arbitrate and then had failed to live
I'm fo tlpil. Dgrppmput