The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-12-06
Ex-sPEAKER REED ON THE TARIFF.

EX-SPEAKER REED ON THE TARIFF.
The improved condition Of ex-Speaker
Reed affords ground to hope that he may
live years to contribute his views on lead
ing topics TO the consideration of the coun-
try from time to time in articles like that
which appears in the North American Re-
view, entitled What Shall We Do with the
TARIFF" A reader will look long time be-
fore he will find such philosophical and
at the same time practical vindication of
the protective policy. In a few sentences
Mr.. Reed disposes of the old-time statement
that a protective tariff was needed to put
infant industries on their feet. Such an
idea makes protection a medicine when 1t
is food since time and experience have
enlarged that idea of protection. 1.-The
principle which underlies protection" says
Mr.. Reed, sis the securing at all times to
the American people the markets of Amer
ica.'' What protection means is stated by
him as follows:
1t means that the work of this Nation
shall be done by the people of this Nation.
All wealth comes from the marrying of Ia
Dor TO the raw material. In a country like
ours, extending over such vast regions,
there can be no lack Of materials. Any
system which enables our people to do our
own work is the system which can give,
and has given the best results. The enemy
have all along sneered at the idea that
taxes can make rich. But this is SIM
ply to beguile by words. Would il be any
less absurd to say that taxes gave us
good currency? And yet they did. We tax
by the tax; ii simply bars out the state
currency We use the tax as way of ac-
complishing a result-as means to an end
N ka ma yxa no IN vi q
to create a barrier behind which we could
do our own work. All the theorists, the
men who thought there was nothing in the
world they could not think off, declared
that we would be ruined. We have not
been ruined, but are to-day very lively
example of people who do their own
work. What would you say is the ideal
industrial condition of a nation? Every
body at work Just now we have every
body at work.
So much of Mr.. Reeds paper is quoted
because within that space an unanswerable
argument based upon experience has been
made for the policy of protection by a
tariff Mr.. Reed does not believe that the
Dingley tariff is the end of wisdom This
admitted, he proceeds to say that many
people demand a new tariff act. Doubtless
few men might frame a tariff bill that
would be free from the errors of the Ding
ley bill and yet retain all it's virtues.
Where would you enact such bill?" asks
the man who sat in Congress twenty-five
years. 'In your own mind, of course; but
a bill enacted in the mind, unfortunately,
has no extraterritorial force,'' is Mr..
Reeds answer. This veteran who has seen
a half dozen attempts to enact tariff acts
reminds individuals that "a tariff bill
enacted by Congress, like the progress of
the world, is the result of a fierce conflict
of opposing human interests, and must be
So" A portion of the closing paragraph
in Mr.. Reeds article is an allusion to Mr..
| Clevelands experience I'm tariff making 1t
is as follows:
There was once President of the United
| States of great power and influence. For
| four years he had no Congress behind him.
and he dreamed of such tariff-reform law
| as would suit him. By and by he had a
| Congress of his own party, and he started
| out to make such a tariff law as would suit
| both gods and men. There are those of us
| who remember the dismal looks of the
| House when il yielded to the Senate. and
| the averted looks of the President as he
| let the bill pass by unsigned and friend
| less. To those men 1t became apparent as
| il should be to the whole world, that the
| tariff enacted is always different from the
| act In your mind.
1t may be said that Mr.. Reed was born
| a protectionist. Such is not the case; in
| fact. it was known to his early friends that
| he was quite the reverse. He imbibed very
much of the academic theory so popular
years ago with literally educated young
men without experience. Just before Mr..
Reeds first election to Congress, in 1876,
| when Republican leaders saw that the
| tariff would soon be an issue. Mr.. Blaine
| and others were not a little concerned as
| to the attitude Mr.. Reed would assume
| toward protection. AS as the tariff
became an issue Mr. Reed began TO investi-
| gate the whole subject in the light of ex-
| perience and as an economic proposition.
| To-day he may be classed with the ultra
| protectionsts and of the ablest cham
/ pions of the principle.
4 THE limited STATES AMI GINA