The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1902-12-03
" we could treat the tariff from the stand

wise lle eStlDilsU'ncIl OF JNcntV VcHT
term commission to supersedc the leg
islative. Executive and Judicial de-
partmcnts of the Government in some
of their functions, Mr.. ROOSEVELT does
favor, olthough not very ar iently. the
transfer from tho Ways and Means Com
mittec of the House TO an outside, nom
PARTISAN commission Of business cy-
prrts the initiative in the matter of
changes in the schedules. He thinks
that the unhurried and unbiased
reports of such commission would be
valuable to the Legislators. As the Hon.
THOMAS b. REED pointed out so lucidly
on Monday last, the sort Of tariff COM
mission which seems to be in the Presi-
dents mind 10 in fact purely creature
Of the mind-of that mental faculty
a"Own - psychology rs Imagination.
In practical existence ii would either be
an expensive nonantity, or, IL actively
efficient, "A consistent menace to thai sta
bility Of our economic policy which the
President declares to be our prime eco
nomic nord The proper tariff commits
sion j. the House Committee on Ways
and Means assisted by the Senate Com
mittcc on Finance. The determination
in the first instance of tariff changes
belongs properly to the forces now
and always heretofore operating to that
end, nl:nely to intelligent political parti-
aanship and rcspC asitle party govern
nent. The only positive recommends
lions Of tho message US 70 the tariff are
reciprocity 10y direct legislation in case the
pending treaties fail and the removal
of tho tax on anthracite coal.
3 The chapter on trust regulation
repeats many Of the now familiar gen.
alities uttered by Mr.. ROOSEVELT last
December and in his series Of stump
speeches during the summer and autumn.
and then proceeds to this paragraph,
the most important in tho message:
,Aracn;ly recommend this sab ,cr, 20 the con.
s'GcTa:lon q the Congress w!;N a .!cv TO the pas
sage o. . l.w reasonable In is provisions ard e.
f~ctive IN ''s operations upon wNich the question.
can be lnaly aaiudicated that now raise doubts as
- tho necessity % Constitutions amendment. n
. prove Impossible to accomplish tho p.rps ses
aho,e >ct forth by s.ch a law. men, as,urcdly we
should not snrnk from amending the Constitution
- .. 10 secure hcy ora r"radvsnture She power
sought"
Such is the rcsduum after many boil
ing- over the flames of superheated
purpose The President follows the ex-
ample OF the Hon. CHARLES f. LITTLE
FIELD in isnissing the idea of Consti-
tulional amendment as inexpedient or
impracticable for the present. He parts
company with tho Hon. JOHN JAMES JEN-
KINs and other trust-suppressors who
yet adhere to the legitimate plan Of getting
the power for Congress before attempt
ing to exercise it. He places himself
as unreservedly in the hands Of that
astute and sophisticated old corpora
ton lawyer, Attornev-General KNOX. "a
he did on a recent occasion in the hands
OF the Hon. He COLLIER in the Mssis-
s!ppi swamps. IL suddenly, but not in
considerably seizes upon the ingenious
method Of postponing contact with an
iu-urmountabie obstacle which Mr. KNOX
devised and proposed in his Pittsburg
speech.
\ bill Of admitted doubtfu!ness Con-
stitutionGllv based on a juggled theory
of the extent of Constitutional power
under The clause empowering Congress
to regulate commerce between the States:
the enactment and The attempted enforce
,ueut OF the probably unconstitutional
measure. and it's reference To the Judi
CARY for u decision dis TO its validity; the
patient awaiting of results from the
slow process leading 10 final adjudication
by tho Supreme Court of the United
states: and then, in the probable event of
a decision that by no twist Of Mr. kNoXs
experienced corporation mind can power
20 regulate interstate commerce be made
@ include production within the States
merely because The producers sometimes
Engage in interstate commerce; a return
an the more or lea. remote future to the
bottom Of the hill, to begin all over again
with the prelminaries TO Constitutional
a,nt ndmcnt' Such i the programme
of attempted Federal control of business
activity within the States Which the
President after a year of earnest cogi-
'ollD'' anu I''Nl''it anu ltnIpd-SlOneu
speeches now presents to Congress-
Il i, his sole specific recommendation
on the subject, ii We except the Incl
dental mention in another part of the
message of the proposed creation of
Department of Commerce IA promising
an advance toward dealing with and
exercising supervision over the rhole
subject of the great corporations doing
an interstate business
Such, we say, is now the only pro-
gramme; and we are bound to add
that it's haltng and tentative character
Is in painful contrast with the ardor
% the Presidents utterances when
treating the subject rhetorcally It
viii impress the cSpectant. we think,
rs worthy neither Of Mr.. RoosEvELT's
political genius nor of his universally
recognized sincerity and courage. II is
Ike the postponement to the Greek
iolcnds Of the Mississippi bear
3. In discussing labor troubles Mr..
ROOSEVELT la, nothing pertinent to
add I" the excellent maxim as To equal
rights a. d the equal liberties Of property
and labor which We have quoted in italics
above. cE' ~ the general proposition
that =, fc- 81. Tho Constitutional youar,