Omaha daily bee., 1905-11-10
TARIFF TALK At BOSTON
Governor Cummins Makes Address At
Dinner of Economic Club.
FAvoRS REVISION ON RECIPROCAL LINES
Principal speech on other Side
of Question IL by Congressman
McCleary of Mime
sotn.

BOSTON, Nov. AT the dinner of the
Economic club here tonight Governor A. b.
Cummins of Iowa and Henry NJ. whitney,
democratic candidate for lieutenant gov-
ernor of Massachusetts, in the recent cleo
ton, made addresses in favor Of the re-
vision of the tariff. The present tariff Itws
were upheld by Congressman James T. Nc
Cleary of Minnesota and Colonel Albert B.
Clark Of this city, secretary of the Home
Market club E. H. Clement presided and
about 800 business men heard the argu-
ments.
The revision side opened the debate Mr.
Whitney speaking in behalf Of reciprocity
and tariff reform. On tariff reform he
quoted statistics by which he endeavored
to show that Of the 29O74117 wage-earners
in the country the condition of three-quar-
ters of them would be improved by being
able to supply their needs I'm the cheapest
market
Mr.. McCleRry's Speech.
Congressman McCleary followed Mr..
Whitney. Mr.. McCleary opened his re-
marks by declaring that he was in exact
accord with the republican national plat
| form and President Roosevelt on the tariff
| question, believing that there should be no
revision until the public interests demanded
I
1.-The making or the unmal1ing of tariff
act is a tremendous task" said Mr.. Me-
| Cleary. "and President Roosevelt in his
speech in Minneapolis last year warned his
countrymen Of the danger of changing the
| tariff laws by persons unfamiliar with the
making OF such laws. Governor Cummins
invites and urges the people to beware OF
! the dangers of tariff revision"
The speaker declared that OF the fifteer
general schedules in the Dingley act there
are fourteen of which Governor Cummin'
offers no explanation.
Taking up Governor Cummins' allegation
that steel rails were sold cheaper abroad
than in this country, Mr.. McCleary quoted
comparative prices Of steel rails for si'
years. which showed that the British price
averaged 500 and the American price $2S.S
a ton.
Cummins for Reciprocity.
Governor Cummins, the next speaker, salt
in part
There must be, at least in the abstract
! some definition of protective duty, ant
those who desire to find IL cannot go astfay
1t Is a duty that measures the dtfferenc
between the cost producing the article a
/ am in hearty sympathy with the vie,
that inasmuch as it is impossible to resc
with exact precision the duty which shoul
be imposed upon given article it is bette
to make the duty too high rather than to
low, so that our own producers may no
only have an equal chance in our own maI
ket, but little better chance than our for
eign competitors.
Governor Cummins took up the iron an
steel schedule and after reviewing the sit
uation and quoting many statistics, said:
If the manufac cturer of the United State
can sell his products in the markets Q
other countries and in so doing he make
a fair profit upon his sales the man VIII
still holds that our manufacturers nee
any considerable protection surrenders hi
good sense in his idolatry at the shrine c
that miserable maxim ilched from tn
language of the great American game,
Protection, high or low, with home CON
petition will make n market fair to bot
seller and buyer. High protection withOu
home competition among sellers will max
a market in which the sellers are the mas
ers and buyers the slaves.
Governor Cummins closed with a fe
words in support of reciprocity.
Colonel Clark, who closed the debat
spoke strongly against any revision