Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-07-23
MEErINe THE REVISION. QUESTION.

Noting that Senator Hopkins, Of H.
linois, after visiting the president at
Oyster Bay, announces his belief that
a revision of the tariff will be UNDER
taken in 1909, but not before, and re-
calling that the same senator declared
that last May Speaker Cannon, If nom
mated and elected president, would
favor tariff revision and would call the
Sixty-first congress together in extra
session to alter the schedules; also re-
marking that Secretary Taft has fire.
quently said eon the stump that he
considers the Dingley tariff obsolete
in many respects, the New York Trib-
une concludes that 1T is apparent,
therefore, that republican sentiment
in favor of amendatory tariff legisla-
ton is spreading and solidifyinf, and
that the next administration, Of re-
publican, will pretty certainly attempt
to renovate the Dingley schedules and
bring them UP to date
The Tribune has for some time past
advocater an overhauling of the pres
ent tariff law, but it has never spoken
so plainly as when it says:
Tariffs are necessarily short lived,
for they are based on conditions which
are always more or less in fiux. The
Dingley law was passed ten years ago.
BY June, 1900, it will have been In
.a1,, To, ~
full average life of an American tariff.
Yet in the last ten years industrial
aand commercial conditions have
changed more rapidly and more radio
ally than in any two decades in our
earlier history. Our imports and ex-
ports have both doubled since 1897,
and the United States is now push
ing to the front as the greatest dealer
in the worlds markets. From the
point of view of the most Obdurate
stand patters" protective tariff un-
which imports have doubled ought to
be nearly ripe for revision, while from
the point of view of the enlightened
protectionist, interested as much in
prof1tably extending foreign trade as
In maintaining a just differential in
favor Of domestic labor, Industrial
conditions under which exports have
doubled and an increasing surplus of
domestic manufactures has to be cared
for. clearly demonstrate the need of
striking a new balance in our inter-
national trade relations. Some of the
Dingley rates are too high because
they afford protection which is now
excessive. Some have no economical
o.
feet products whose price is determ-
ined here without any reference to
foreign production or competition.
Possibly some are too low, owing to
unforeseen changes in our own or in
the foreign market. Thus they are to.
a large extent necessarily out Of
touch with the Industrial and CONNER
cial activities of today, and could be
readily adjusted with benefit both to
the American producer and the Amer
lean consumer.
Is this the Iowa idea or its twin?
The newspapers and men in Iowa who
took this stand long ago and have held
it consistently have been classed by
Iowa standpatters as democrats. Where
VIII they place the New YORK lrlpuLie
and the administration to which it is
perhaps closer than any other news
paper? Six years ago Iowa republic
cans were saying what the Tribune
and Taft and Hopkins and others,
who may assume VITA justification to
be mouthpieces of the president, are
saying six years later. Where are Iowa
standpatters at?