Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-04
THE MESSAGE

ANOS7SNSAe tdheS LiiS BTOuuu lndN ~ VIII
be inexpedient and unwise for the pres
ent body to consider any modification
| of the existing tariff schedules. except
Ing as they apply to the raw materials
from which paper is manufactured He
declares that 1.-The principle Of the pres
ent tariff law could not with wisdom
be changed" although he admits that
in country which has grown as the
United States has at is probably well
that every dozen years or so the tariff
laws should be carefully scrutipized SO
as to see that no excessive or Improper
benefits are conferred thereby" A little
later on he argues: "The sole consider
alton should be to see that the sum
total Of changes represents the public
good. This means that the subject cam
not with wisdom be dealt with in the
year preceding a presidential election.
because as a matter OF fact experience
has conclusively shown that at such
time it Is impossible to get men to treat
1t from the standpoint Of the public
good. In my judgment the wise tineI
to deal with the matter is Immediately
after such election"
We wish the president had exhibited
the courage to face the issue with
greater firmness and determination.
From the standpoint of the politician It
is perhaps unwise to deal with the mat
ter Immediately Before presidential
election. 1t may be bad politics. to do
-. a. - ~xa .e, s>,x,o - 41,n oov,at
dates for congressional honors and the
nominee OF the Republican party him
self, but when we consider the fact that
the present sentiment Of the whole
country is overwhelmingly In favor of
tariff revision. and immediate revision.
we believe that party politics should not
enter in any degree into the considera-
tion Of the question.
From one end of the country to the
other there is and for some time has
been a growing demand that the tariff
laws should be thoroughly overhauled
mot by the professional politicians in
congress but at the hands Of a commits |
sion composed of men who have made
the subject a careful study. basing their
on science rather than on
of party welfare or the
protection of any special interests what
ever. Thinkers of both the great politi- |
cal parties long since have come to
realize that high protective tariff is
chiefly responsible for those combina-
tions which have been able to restrain |
II not eradicate competition. If we put
to one side the opinions and desires OF
the so-cslled stand pat" element in the
Republican party as at present and for
many years past constituted, but little
will be found in the tariff |
principles of honest and intelligent men
in either party.
In most other respects the message
appears to US to possess character
and tone that should commend It to the |
of the whole people. Many OF
the advanced policies advocated by the
president are those which have appealed
10 progressive men of both great par
ties All will agree that closer scrutiny
II the acts OF common carriers transact
ing an interstate business and rigid fed
eral control are needed.
II was to have been expected that the
president should demand that the anti
trust law should be so amended "as to
forbid only the kind of combination
which does harm to the general public.
such amendment to be accompanied by, |
or to be an incident OF, grant of su-
pervisory power to the government over
these big concerns engaged In inter- |
state business" The president demands
that in further legislation on this sub
ject "the design should be to prevent
the abuses incident to the creation Of
and improper combinations,
instead of waiting until they are in
existence and then attempting to der
stroy them by civil or criminal pro-
Right here he brings US back to- tho |
problem of the tariff. He might have
added that very proper method OF
abuses of this nature lies In
such revision of the existing tariff laws
as to deprive such combinations OF the
upon which they rest-tarin
duties enabling them so to increase the
great wealth which they have throwni
into the business which they have in
tended to monopolize that, with that
wealth grown to proportions which en-
able these combinations to dominate
the markets. they may materially reduce
the proportions OF if not actually ami
hilate individual competition.
In view OF recent financial conditions
President Roosevelt's declaration that
provision should also be made for COM
plete publicity in all matters affecting
the public and complete protection to
the investing public and the share
holders in the matter of issuing cor
porate securities will be received with |
popular acclaim. He suggests that IL
an incorporation law is not deemed adj
visable the alternative should be a |
license act for big interstate corpora
tions, or combination of the two. But
he emphatically declares that the real
owners of a corporation should be com-