The Washington times., 1904-10-23

Continued From First Page)
mise tarif Of 1888, which reduced duties
by a sliding scale, extending over a
number OF years, TO 20 per cent. Mr..
Clay was at that era, and during his
whole public life the standard bearer
OF the American system Of tariff pro-
lection. and / wish TO recall some words
that he used in a debate ia the Senate
i'm 1888, jusrifying his course in advocat-
ing this tariff reduction. He said;
90 No one Mr.. President, ia the com
mencemeut OF the protective policy ever
supposed that IL was to be perpetual
We hoped and believed that temporary
protection extended TO our infant manu-
features would bring them mp and en-
able them to withstand competition with
those of Europe. II the protective policy
were entirely TO cease in 1912 it would
have existed tweuty-siX years from 1916.
OF eighteen years from 1924. quite as
long. AT either OF those periods, as its
friends supposed might be necessary.
A Change in Arguments.
MIR. Clay here voiced the prevailing
ouinfon of the country that the pro
tected trades were no longer in state
Of infancy In fact. the infant industry
argument was then superseded by the
pauper labor argument II was now
contended for the first time that the
tariff should be used TO compensate the
American producer for the higher wages
he had 20 pay as compared with MS
foreign competitor. As this argument
has at times done great service, al
though now quite threadbare, / viii
dwell uuon q a moment. InasmuCh as
the law puts the tariff benefits exclusive
IN ia the hands Of the capitalist and
provides no means for giving The wage
Garner his share, the system virtually
. Let the Government take care Of the
rich and the rich VIII take care OF the
DOOR IL IS a short step then 70 say
Let the Government take care Of every
body.' a doctrine abh0rred by all sound
thinking men.
'But it is not true that greatly en-
larged profits are on that account diN1d-
cd among the wOrzmeu helping 20 pro
duce them. The advance in wages Is
not due, as a rule. 10 a desire on the
part Of the employer TO share PTS
with his wOrkmeu, but rather 90 the
organization of wOrAmen.
/ Protection did not come 20 an end.
however. in lap. On the contrary 1T was
augmented in that year from ~ per
cent 10 - per cent average. The neH-
I tariff. enacted I'm 1876. was q reduction 10
/ p per ceut-the Walker tariff There
I was a further reduction In 1851. ia which
I the protected classes themselves con-
CURED. 20 per cent aveTage.
Quotes John Sherman.
AT this point in our history the tarin
question ceased temporarily 10 be an
/ issue iu American politics. 1t disappear
ed so completely that when the Re
publican party was formed. nobody
thought OF reviviuE IL. ana this is good
reason for believing mat iJ never would
have been revived bat for the civil war
which uecessitated the raising or large
revenue to meet the Extraordinary de
maudz upon the Treasury.
Certain classes availeI themselves OF
this opportunity 20 reintr0dUce the pro-
tectige system for their own advantage
and they were successful The result
was the Morrill, tariff, OF rather four
successive iustallmenJs Of the Morrill,
tariff Of which Senator Sherman ia q
debate Ola the tariff bin Of 1872. spoke
as follows
III must be remembered that the
present duties taken together are far in
/ excess ot what they were before the
T war, and CHAT they have been three times
{ largely Increased since the passage OF
the Morrill, tariff act OF 1851 il the
present rates OF duty were high enough
during and since the wan when home
E industry was burdeued with heavy ina
JernaI taxes. with stamp duties, income
/ taxes and hiE rates ON raw materials
then surely they are now TOO high when
all these taxes are removed
Revision Twenty Yeas Ago.
I The views which Senator Sherman
here expressed ana which many other
Republican statesmen entertained,
gained such asceudeucy Iu The councils
/ OF the party that plan for revision
of the tariff was made distinctive fea-
ture OF President Arthur Admiuistra-
t.ou with the sanction OF 81 pT0Jec-
ZIONIST Congress commission was APP
pointed Tor tins purpose lu lss2. con-
slsting, with one exception. of tho
chosen rspresautaLiyes OF the protected
industries. They spent several months
taking testimony and made "a report Bon
which they summed up their conclusions
ln these words
o.. Early ia its deliberations the com
mission became convinced that a sub
stautIaI reduction of tariff duties is de-
handed. not by "a mere inIlscrlmiuate
DoDuIar cIamor but by the best coHsarv-
alive ouiuIou of the country. including
that which has iu former times been
most strenuous for The preservation Of
our national industrial defeuses. Such
reduction vi the existing tarin the
commission regards NOT only as a cue