Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-18
A MIXED GATHERING
The Chicago Convention and
It's Net Results.
PROTECTIVE PRINCIPLE
THE ONE CRYSTALLIZED SENTI
MENT EVOLVED.
A Permanent Organization May Cause
the Standpatters Consider
able Uneasiness.

ence at Chicago are likely to be regarded
with considerable interest TO say the least,
by the tariff experts In Congress Whether
the outcome of the meeting will appeal to
any dominant tariff faction in Congress
mains a very much mooted question.
1t was curious combination of conflict
ing interests, that conference. anyhow.
There were former populists, there were
Bryanites, there We're Cumminites, free
trade democrats old line republicans, New
England free raw material advocates, rep
resentatives of two big trusts, the meat
trust and the harvester combine, and a
floating element that did not see INTO know
what it wanted or how to get it. Out of
the hodge podge came just one crystalliZed
sentiment-namely, that the convention
recognized the principle of protection
the established policy of our country"
That is the first declaration in the plat
form adopted by the convention. 1t will
be recalled that such Senator Gull
lom. the sturdy old protectionist; Rosc-
water of Nebraska, who was secretary of
the committee on resolutions in the last
republican national convention, and others
of that bent were largely in evidence. The
protectionists drew first blood and got in
the only telling blow.
Reciprocity Had No Show.
Reciprocity pure and simple got no show
means of a dual or maximum and minimum
tariff was declared to be the only prac
teal method to relieve the strained situa-
ton in regard to the foreign markets. In
other words to punish with higher tariff
the nations that levy high duties on our
goods and reward the nations who favor
with a lower tariff. Senator Cullom
who is chairman of the Senate committee
on foreign relations, told the convention
that reciprocity outright could not be Sc
cured while the present membership OF
the Senate exists.
Then the convention went step further
and recommended secondly:
That the question of schedules and items
to be considered in such reciprocal conces-
sions preferably be suggested by perma-
nent tariff commission, TO be created by
Congress and appointed by the President,
which shall consist of economic, Industrial
and commercial experts.
Congress Not Likely to Do This.
That is something that Congress is not
likely to do. 1t may be regarded almost
as a fixed principle that Congress will not
delegate to a commission the power vested
in the House of Representatives by the
Constitution of the United States to levy
taxes and raise revenue. Following the
plan recommended by this convention, a
democratic President could appoint com
mission which would vitate tariff made
by a republican Congress, even II the
House at the time was OVERWHELMINGLY re-
publican. the opposition holding a balance
of power in the Senate under the lax rules
of debate.
Further than that. there has grown up in
the House of Representatives in recent
years a spirit of intense jealousy of its own
powers and privileges. This has increased
through successive contests with the Sem
ate and the executive branch over alleged
infr!ngements upon the rights of the House.
No one who has followed the trend of senti-
i,, in
question can believe that the power re-
quested by the convention will be dele
gated by Congress to any commission to be
appointed by President.
The German Tariff.
With reference to the retaliatory feature
of the maximum and minimum tariff
scheme, it a coincidence that on the
very day this was adopted the Department
of Commerce and Labor in official bull
letin, called attention to the preparation
that Germany has made to meet just such
a contingency. Germany has increased her
tariff against the United States, has
been pointed out in The STAR a number
of articles the increases running as high as
PA per cent. and keeping close around 10
per cent, on items of largest consumption.
Not content with that, the new German
tariff provides that if any country attempts
to retaliate for this raise in tariff there
shall Immediately be levied surtax rang
ing up TO 100 per cent or the tarlH duty
If goods are admitted free surtaX of 80
per cent ad valorem sha.. be put on. That
is what this country will run up against at
the first effort to apply a maximum and
minimum tariff plan to Germany.
A Permanent Organization.
However, it is unquestioned that the
friends of lower tariff and the opponents of
the high protectonists all over the country
will welcome the formation of the perma-
nent organization recommended by the con-
vention. 1t is a nucleus for the opposition
to the great and powerful American Pro-
tective League, which is the militant force
of the highly protected interests. 1t Is un-
derstood that the permanent body created
by the convention will proceed along lines
of publicity, utilized in the past to such
advantage by the stand -patters to enlist
public interest in the cause OF lower tariffs.
1t has been recognized by the friends OF
tariff revision that some kind of an organ
ization is needed to crystalline into a work
ing and effective power the sentiment Of
the country known to exist in favor of
modification of the excessively high tariff
schedules