Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-11-14

THE TWO SIDES OF !:
THE TARIFF QUESTION:
OR cuMMlNs AND CONGRESSMAN McLEARY AT BOSTON.



100000 seoooeooo
respect and for whose charming per-
sonality have due regard, lays down
In his argument the following PROPOSE
tons. in which most heartily concur:
we all concede that there should
be stability in our tariff laws; that
they should not be changed for light
or trivial reasons. They should stand
until 1t IS apparent that they consti-
tute substantial burden upon bust
ness and become the instruments of
grave injustice to the people. | grant
also that the burden of proof that ex-
| listing duties are substantially unjust
is upon those who propose a change.
intend to assume that burden. and If
cannot establish not only by pre-
ponderance of evidence, but beyond a
reasonable doubt, the proposition that
the duties of 1897 upon some of the
most important products are so much
too high that they despoil the con.
sumner in order to create an unreason.
able profit for the producer. I will suf.
Ter the penalty, and ought to suffer
the penalty imposed upon mere dis.
1
This is brave sounding manifesto.
Has the governors performance meas.
ured up to 1T? Has he, according to
his announcement, proved mot only
by preponderance of evidence but be-
You'd reasonable doubt" his funda-
mental and essential proposition that
existing duties are substantially I'M
just or has he failed to make such
proof and is he. therefore, Justly sub
ject to the severe penalty imposed by
himself of being characterized and
known as "a mere disturber of indus
trial tranquility"
Danger in Tariff Revision.
The making or remaking of tariff
act is a tremendous task. The Dingley
act contains fifteen general schedules
arranged in 705 paragraphs, eachsparaa
graph covering from one to thirty, or
forty items, or thousands. of items in
all. The dutiable list covers 1853 para
| graphs and the free list covers 242
paragraphs. Persons unfamiliar with
the making of such laws cannot I'M
derstand the difficulties and dangers
| to be encountered. But President
Roosevelt is one who understands, and
in his speech in Minneapolis a year
ago last April-a speech made for the
very purpose, among others, of warn.
| ing his countrymen of these dangers
he said:
The fact that the change in a Civ
en- rate of duty may be thought desir-
able does not settle the question
whether it is advisable to make the
change Immediately Every tariff
deals with duties on thousands of ar
ticles arranged in hundreds of para.
graphs and in many schedules. These
duties affect vast number of inter
ests, which are often conflicting. If
necessary for our welfare, then, of
course, congress must consider the
| question of changing the law as a
whole or changing any given rate of
duty But We must remember that
whenever even a single schedule is
considered some interest will appear
| to demand a change in almost every
schedule in the law and when 1t
comes to upsetting the schedules gen.
orally the effect upon the business in
terests of the county would be ruin
GUS"
With these wise words of. caution
and Of warning in our minds, let us
now examine frankly and fairly the
grounds upon which Governor Cum
minis invites and urges the people of
| the United States to dare the dangers
of tariff revision thus clearly and fore.
! IDLY pointed out by President Roose-
welt. What proofs does the governor
offer that existing duties are sub
stantially unjust?"
The Governors Narrow View.
Of the fifteen general schedules in
the Dingley act, there are fourteen on
which the governor offers no informa.
ton whatever. He confines his allie
cation entirely to one schedule. the
one known as Schedule (Which Gov
ers metals and the manufactures
i thereof" He does not discuss even
this one schedule comprehensively OF
its seventy-three paragraphs, he omits
all reference to 6S or 10. He simply
makes some allegations concerning
parts of three or four of them. Sc
that if what he says concerning the
very small part of the law which he
discusses were all granted, he would
still fall very short of furnishing the
proofs of which he made such profit
gate promise.
i Governor Cummlns is justly regard
ed as the ablest champion in the west
of immediate tariff revision downward
Recognizing the principle that chain
\ is no stronger than its weakest link
/ he has made his attack on the Dingley
law at the point where he regards II
as being the most vulnerable If he
has failed here he has failed every
where. And If he has failed, his imi
tators and followers may well take
warning.
Now what is the ground upon which
| the governor rests his whole case!
| What is it that he offers to this intel
ligent audience and through you to the
American people as his promised "pre
ponderance of evidence" which should
prove his case, beyond a reasonable
doubt" which proof he admitted to be
properly required Of one who would
have us dare the dangers of tariff re-
vision? In all the amount of language
that he used, here is the sum and sub
Dr. KEN MEnY,S