Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1906-09-28
mot pinolev,s TARIFF

Wv
most brilliantly edited Independent pa
pers in America. 1t is strongly in IA
vor Of protective tariff, but not of the
present tariff law. Hence what it says
against the present law should appeal
forcibly to protectionists at least and
convert them to the revision idea.
Lately under the above caption the
Post said editorially:
Having In previous issues OF the Post
cheerfully paid due tribute to Speaker
Cannon's great keynote speech, which, side
by side and. hguratively speaking. arm In
arm with President Roosevelts valuable
contribution to the ammunition of the
Republican congressional campaign, will
go marching on until the grand roundup
Of Nov. 6. we will glance today at single
sentence in that address, which seems to
us to require a few words of explanation
When Mr.. Cannon says. IT have no hest
tation in saying that the present revenue
! law, known as the Dingley law all things
considered is the most nearly perfect and
Just customs law ever enacted" this
Journal cannot possibly go with him. 1t
u held back and barred out of sympathy
and fellowship with that declaration by
lnsurmountable obstacles in the shape of
few of those stubborn things called
facts. AS the Post has heretofore said
and. what Is Of more Importance has
proved, there is no tariff in existence to
which the name Of Dingley tan be prop
sriy applied. nor has such q tariff existed
since the Reputation by the senate of a
reciprocity for which Mr. Dingley and his
associates made provision in the text of
the tariff Of 1897. which supplanted the
Wihon-Gorman act OF 1884, The Post, for
good and SUFFICIENT reasons that have
been stated many times in these columns,
- not IN favor Of executive legislation,
even In the modified form of reciprocity
to the going into effect Of the Dingley
act, was az thoroD1hiy, eer1ar.aitted TO reel
Proeaty as It was to protection. It was
bound BY platform pledges and by the
establish reciprocity ~ the tariff Of 1887
~ "the handmade OF pretectinq.H True
to those pledges and other commitments,
Mr.. Dinsley and his coworkers put a
reciprocity provision. carefully elaborat-
cd. into the bill which became law. AS
mon sense, dictated they made the sched-
Ties high enough to bear reciprocity re-
auctions without endangering protection.
| This is notoriously true. When il was
| disputed in the senate 1t was affirmed by
Senator Dolliver. who was one of Mr.
plns4ey's coworkers on the ways and
| tasans committee. It may be set down
O. q fact Of histpry-and fact not dis.
ltsditable to Mr. pingley-that he sale
| when the tariff bill was under eensldera
| ttoh that the schedules were ''purnosely
| placed too high in order to leave safe
| margin for reciprocity negotiations
President Mckinley Immediately proceed
% to the discharge Of the duty assigned
him by that act. He appointed com
missioner to nesatlate reciprocity conven
lions. and when congrsSs reassembled HI
Hept a dozen or moro OF them to the sen
| ate for ratification. ~
| Up to this point tie reciprocity pro
srsmms progressed ppimpeded. The tex
Of the law and the agreements contem
plated by that text were In accordance
with the party's policy and pledges. Blu
right then and there halt was called
Tho overprotected interests demanded
that the TOO high" schedules be let alone
| In compliance with that demand reel
| iprenity was repudiated. But that was mo-
tAs work Of Nelson Dingley nor of Pres
idsut Mckinley. Their skirts were clear
Apd It Is grossly unjust to the memory
II good man to give the name of Ding
Icy to the Ubiquitous inequities. the un
blushinE favoritism. tho oppressive taxa
ton Of ell the people to enrich a few. tina
hrs fairly charged against the tariff
schedules as they stand today. 49,