The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-06

habitants, and which gives 10 New Mexico
and Arizona, each containing an Insufficient
number Of people TO become a State, an OPP
portunity to come, In, as q united state
until they may be taken In as tv0 States;
the denatured alcohol bill, which, against
the most powerful influences. paseed both
Houses, providing for the use OF cheap
alcohol In the arts and In heating and light
ing, are some Of the measures which stamp
this Congress - one anxious to serve tho
true interests OF the people, and not de-
TERED from doing so by the fact that such
measures may interiors with the profits OF
large corporate enterprises.
REVISION or n rARIYH AND TRUSTS.
One OF the contentious OF the Democratic
party Ii that the protective tariff develops
trusts and that the most formidable weapon
that could be used against them is the re-
vision Of the taTtd. do not propose to dis
cuss the schedules Of the tariff. The great
majority Of the American people are In favor
Of maintaining the protective system. The
operation of the tariff affects broad sections
and localities and 10 deemed important
TO the welfare OF millions of workingmen
and small dealers and the country at large.
Substantial changes are attended with risk
TO the important legitimate business inter-
ests. This is what makes legislators hesi-
tate at q revision In q period OF uneyampled
prosperity. Moreover. IL is impracticable
BY q revision Of the tariff to destroy trusts.
Tho effect which a protective tariff has
IN aid Of trusts 10 In the partial exclusion
or hampering Of foreign competition in
articles manufactured by trusts, thus
narrowing tho composition to y met M
the principle Of excluding or burdening
foreign competition with home manufac-
lures is The protective system. In other
words, the question presented is whether
1t 10 wiser to maintain the benefits Of the
protective system and deal with the evils OF
thu Tna ma RApnQnf NJ tT1IQfQ NV ar0Of1O InQ14-
lation directed to those evils, or in an at
tempt to curb trusts, to pull down the entire
protective system. IL IL impossible to
segregate from the business Of h country
and the schedules Of a tariff the particular
articles that are the subject Of trust manu-
facture. The whole schedule OF duties
is so complicated that an attempt OF this
sort would be certain to involve Independent
enterprises pursuing only legitimate trade
methods. More than this, OF all the trusts,
the most conspicuous me-, the Standard OIL
trust, receives no benefit from the protec-
tive tariff. The trusts do not embrace all
the industries Of the country and even upon
trusts IL would be mort unwise to infiict
the punishment Of annihilation, because
the legitimate business which they do in
creases the wage fund out Of which wage
earners are paid and il part OF that pros
perity which the people OF the country are
now enjoying. The best and only safe
way to reach the evils of the trusts Is, there
fore, as the President has said, by direct
legislation and Executive action to compel
them to obey the law.
The reimbursement Of tariff schedules is
a most dif1cult matter because they so
directly affect the welfare OF many locali-
ties. A proposition to change them when
carried to the point OF actually formulating
a bill always creates division in the party
processing II, as we saw in the passage OF
the Wilson-Gorman bill. In that instance
the Democratic party, protesting to be for
a tariff for revenue only, adopted such a
bill in the House. but encountered 90 much
Democratic opposition in the Senate that
the bill as passed was a hybrid and brought
disaster to the ountr without even giving
the principle Of tariff for a revenue a trial.
FAvoRs REVISION. .
Spea king my individual opinion and for
no one else, l believe that since the passage
Of the Dingley bill there has been a change
in the business conditions OF the country
making il wise and just to revise the sched-
ules Of the existing tariff. The sentiment
in favor Of a revision Of the tariff Is grow
ing in the Republican party, and in the
near future the members of the party will
doubtless be able to agree on a reasonable
plan. But the work of the present session,
which was pressing in its urgency, could
never ave been accomplished IL there had
been intro duced into Congress and the
councils Of the party the heated discussions
certain to arise over the questions Of the
revision Of the tariff. How soon the feel
ing in favor OF revision shall crystalline
into action cannot be foretold, but it In
certain TO come, and with IL those schedules
Of the tariff which have inequalities and
are excessive will be readjusted. The rea-
sonable prospect Of a revision of the tariff
by the Republican party on conservative
lines should certainly be greatly preferred
by those who favor revision and yet believe
in the protective system to legislation
which is always threatened by the incom-
ing of a Democratic Congress and a Demo-
cratic Administration under the b0ttle cry
"A protective tariff is a robbery Of the
many for the benefit Of the few" and to
the disaster to general pushes which in
evitably follows.
THE PHILIPPINE TARIFF.
There is one important measure con-
sidered by the present Congress to which
I must refer. It passed the House, is
now pending in the Senate. The bill pro-
vides that all goods coming into the United
States from the Philippine Islands, which
are the product and manufacture OF the
Philippine Islands, shall come in free, ex-
cept su gar. tobacco and rice, n that these
articles shall pay a duty Of Is per cent.
of the Dingley rates, until 1909, when they
shall come in free, and that thereafter all
goods and products OF the United States
shall be introduced free into the Philippine
Islands. In other words. this is a bill to
give to the people Of the Philippine Islands
the benefit of the markets OF the United
States, and the people OF the United States
the benefit of the free markets of the Philip
pines. 1t ia Intended to build up the bust
ness Of the Philippine Islands, to encourage |
production and expectation by Offering
10 the producers of those islands a market
in which the profit OF dealing is likely 70
develop their resources. The bill passed
the House Of Representatives by a vote of
$50 TO II. and received the support of a
large part Of both the Republican andtt the
Democratic members. In the committee
OF the Senate having charge OF the bill,
however, il encountered the opposition of
both Republicans and Democrats. This
opposition was based chiefly on the ground
that the sugar, tobacco and noe interests
Of this country would be affected injun-
ously by the development OF the sugar,
tobacco and rice interests OF the Philippine
Islands. am very hopeful that at the next
session OF Congress the facts with respect
10 this issue viii come to be better known
to both the Republican and Democratic
members Of the Senate and that they
will understand what the truth is, that
any business likely 10 be developed in the
Philippine Islands is so hampered by natural
conditions, by the insuficiency Of labor,
by the lack Of capital, and by the uncertain
ties OF tropical agriculture, that neither