Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-12-06
TARIFF INVESTIGATION.

TARIFF INVESTIGATION.
The republican party is not COM
mitted to tariff revision except under
certain conditions. 1t is, however, I'M
equivocally committed to tariff in
vestigation. In order to learn whether
conditions exist such as warrant gen
eral revision of the tariff under re-
publican auspices, tariff investigation
by congress is absolutely essential.
The national republican platform of
1904 declares that protection which
guards and developes our industries is
a cardinal policy of the republican
party. The measure of protection
should always at least equal the diff
ference in the cost of production at
home and abroad. The platform in
sists upon the maintenance of this
principle and then says:
Therefore, rates of duty should be
readjusted only when conditions have
so changed that the public interest de-
mand their alteration. To republican
congress and republican president
this great question can be safely In
trusted"
President Roosevelt in his Mime
apolis speech April 4, 1908,
made the following declaration We
quote fully because we regard the
Presidents utterance at that time of
the greatest Importance in any con-
sideration of this question. He said:
A nation like ours could not long
stand the ruinous policy of readjusting
it's business to radical changes in the
tariff at short intervals, especially
when as now owing to the INN ense
extent and variety of our products the
tariff schedules carry rates of duty on
thousands of different articles.
yet on the other hand, where the
industrial conditions so frequently
change as with us must Of necessity
be the case, it is matter of prime i'm
portance that we should be able from
time to time to adapt our economic
policy to the changed conditions.
Cur aim should be to protect the
policy of protective tariff, in which
the nation as whole has acquiesced,
and yet whenever and wherever neces-
sary to change the duties in particular
paragraphs or schedules as matters of
legislative detail, if such change is
demanded by the interests of the ma
ton as whole.
In making any readjustm ent there
are certain important considerations
which cannot be disregarded. If a
tariff law has on the whole worked
we'll and If business has prospered I'M
der it and is prospecting it may be bet
ter to endure some inconvenience and
inequalities for time than by max
ing changes to risk causing disturb
ance and perhaps paralysis in the in
dustries and business of the country"
The tariff in it's manifold ramifica-
lions is the greatest influence bearing
upon business conditions that exists in
this country. The people at large
compromising this fact by an over
whelming victory for the republican
party declared that they were not will
ing to trust tariff revision to the demo-
Gratis who are the acknowledged enc.
mics of the protective principle. They
unquestionably regarded the above ut
terances of the republican platform
and of President Roosevelt as a pledge
that the republican party if continued
in power would fully and exhaustively
investigate this whole subject and that
if conditions were found that war
ranted tariff revision or even minor
changes in the schedules, then a re-
publican congress and republican
president would see that this Is
brought about. The republican party
cannot shirk the responsibility that
has come to it.
The tariff is business proposition,
1t is mass of detail and has thou.
sands of ramifications 1t touches one
business interest at one point and
others at another 1t is nonsense for
men to go up and down the land de-
claring loudly that the tariff must and
shall be revised but utterly failing to
present any bill of particulars as to
what schedules shall be modified. It
is equally absurd for men in promi-
nent places to sit back in their chairs
and say that because the republican
party was given an overwhelming vic
tory at the recent election the people
are perfectly satisfied and that 1t is
not necessary to do anything with the
tariff. The doctrines of indiscrimin-
ate tariff ripping and of ultra stand
patism are equally inconsistent with
the pledges and promises Of the re-
publican, party. Secretary Shaw was
right when he said recently LET us
have bill of particulars. Let the
men who believe the tariff should he
revised specify the schedule" This
is exactly what should be done and
the republican congress even at the
approaching short session should
make 1t possible for this to be brought