The McCook tribune. (McCook, Neb.) 1886-1936, 1902-12-05
HUMBUG AND MENACE
WHY THE TARIFF COMMISSION
Is NOT DESIRABLE.
Ii Would Involve an Extended Period
of Tariff Agitation and Uncertainty,
Thus Causing uneasiness and
Alarm in all Lines of Commercial
Activity.

There has recently been some ap-
prevail in high quarters of a proposal
to appoint a Bipartisan" tariff COM
mission to wrestle with the tariff
problem for an indefinite period and
wind up with making recommends
tons" to Congress. The New York
Commercial, which has been a con
Sistent supporter of the protective
policy, has taken the matter UP in a
sensational way, sending out broad
sides and blank petitions all over the
country, with the evident intent, if a
commission should be appointed, of
claiming that the Commercial did
It," after the established custom of
the sensational press.
A Bipartisan tariff commission
would be an utter humbug, and it's
performances would be a roaring
farce. 1t would be absolutely known
in advance that the three IT five
members who would constitute the
protectionist majority would recon
mend" the maintenance of the present
protective system, and that the two
or foul free traders of the minority
would object to every recommended
ton made by the majority and rec
ommend" exactly the opposite. 1t
would also be known that the two
reports would be printed in many
thick volumes Of Testimony" argu-
ment and speculation containing little
ar nnthinD nouy and cnnnriSjnp an
enormous mass which nobody would
ever read or even look at except for
the purpose of digging out short ex-
tracts calculated to support a policy
which the scarcer was predetermined
to favor. Finally it would be known
no more attention to the "recommen-
dations" of the commission than it
pays to the winds which whistle
about the dome of the capitol.
If the commission were only a
farce the nation could, perhaps, af-
ford to pay the cost for the sake of
quieting the yells of the disgruntled
and restless, just as a nurse diverts
a squalling baby with a rattle. But
it would not be merely a farce; it
would be disastrous. From the mo-
ment it was resolved to appoint such
a commission every business interest
in the country would take alarm, for
It, would be known that We had enter
ed upon a long period of tariff agita-
ton, whose outcome as to any par
fint11o- inT0rnct OIL ~ h. 1z
guessed at. There would be intrigues
to learn in advance and modify the
recommendations of the commits
sion, and when that was through the
whole fight would be transferred to
Congress. We had one such commits
sion a few years ago, and the coun-
try eve wants another. The place
to discuss matters is in the open
forum of the House of Representa-
tives and Senate, as contemplated by
the constitution.
There is no objection to securing
official information as to the workings
Of the present tariff or the probable
workings Of any proposed modifica-
ton. On the contrary, it is highly
desirable. But the government is
already provided with machinery nee
essary for that purpose in all respects
better than any partisan, non-parti-
san or bipartisan commission. It is
only necessary for congress to direct
that the actuary of the treasury de-
partment should report in words and
figures precisely what would happen
in respect to revenue and to imports
and exports of commodities in case
certain named changes in the tariff
were made. These official estimates
could be made upon request of any
organized party in Congress, any
national political convention or any
other influential body making definite
inquiries in good faith. That is all
we want to know. We need no "rec-
concentrations from anybody. A few
pages Of figures would tell the whole
story. It would be ~businesslike and
sensible. A bipartisan commission
would be a humbug and a menace to