The Washington herald., 1907-06-14
The Presidents Last Word on the Tariff.

The Presidents Last Word on the Tariff,
While at oyster Bay last summer Pres
ident Roosevelt wrote a letter 10 Repre-
sentative Watson. Of Indiana. on the IS
sues Of the pending Congressional cam
paign. II was dated August IS, and con-
tained this significant paragraph:
We stand uuequivocally for a protective tariff.
and We feel that the phenomenal industrial pros
reri'y which we are now cnioying Is not lightly to
be jeoTardized for IL would be 20 the last degree
foolish 20 secure here and there a small bneft at
the cost Of general business depression But when
ever given rate or schedule becomes evidently dis
advantageous ~ the nation because Of the changes
which Co on from year 10 year in orr conditions.
snd where il is feasible 20 change this rate 0r
schedule without too much disoction Of the system,
IL will be done; while general revision Of the rates
and schedules win be undertaken whenever 1t shall
appear 70 the sober business sense q orr people
that en- the whole the benefits 20 he derived from
making suCh changes win outweigh the dis3dvan-
tages. that is when the revision vii, do more good
than harm. Let me add one word q caution. how
ever The question Of revising the tauf stands
wholly apart from the question o. dealing with the
s5-cailed "trusts'-,hat is with the control OF
mauavliss and with the supervision Of great wealth
IN business. especiaIlv In corporate form. The only
vav in which II Is possible 90 deal with these
trusts and monopolies ard this great corporate
wealth is by action along the lire Of the laws
enacted bv the present Congress and It's immedi-
ate predecessors The cry that the problem can lie
met bv any changes in the tariff represents whether
CO scously or uuc7nsciousy, an effort 20 divert the
,g bic attention from the only method Of taking
effective action.
Two weeks later. on September ., Sec
retarv Taft delivered the widely quoted
speech at Bath. Ne. wherein he declared
himself in favor Of tariff revision by the
Republican party on conservative lines
Although Mr.. Taft was careful 10 say
that he spoke his individual opinion and
for no one else. there is reason 10 be
leve that the Bath declaration had the
approval Of the President. At all events.
the references to the tariff question I'm the
| Roosevelt letter to Watson, and in Taft's
| speech az Bath, are practically identical
/ in meaning and tendency. Mr. Taft held
( the same view as the President as 10 the
/ relation Of the tariff and trust questions;
and while Mr.. Roosevelt promised that a
/ general revision of the rates and sched-
ules will be undertaken whenever pop
ular sentiment demands II, Secretary
/ Taft said that whenever the feeling in
/ favor Of revision shall crystallize into
action those schedules Of the tariff
which have inequalities and are excessive
will be readjusted." We are therefore
warranted I'm expressing the belief that
President Roosevelt, notwithstanding his
subsequent silence with respect 70 the
! tariff. is as strongly for an Overhauling
( Of the Dinglcy law along conservative
! lines as is Mr. Taft, and that. in fact
both men occupy precisely the same
ground on the question Of revision.
/ This being true. the Presidents con-
I tinued silence on the subject Of tariff
revision is inexplicable. It becomes still
more so when we consider that, by means
Of the tariff agreement with Germany, the
administration has struck the vitals out
Of the Dinglcv schedules, so far as inn
ports from that country are concerned.
/ Neither in theory nor I'm practice IS the
administration committed TO a stand-pat
tariff policy. Why. then, the impene-
trablc reticence of the President concern
/ ing tariff revision and the very practical
/ administrative application OF 1t to rates
Of duty on imports from Germany?