Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1907-01-10
cULLoM'S UToPIAN SCHEME.
Folly of Supposing the Tariff Can Be
Taken Out of Politics.


Senator Cullom of Illinois is report
ed as proposing to introduce, in the
senate. a joint resolution providing for
the creation of 'non-partisan COM
mission" of experts" to report on the
schedules of the tariff and make such
recommendations as it may desire for
revision" We had such commits
sion once, and it made a sad mess of
it. The result was a series of in
trigues lasting for the whole life of
tie commission, tariff fight at the
end, the defeat of the Republican
party a new tariff which Cleveland
would not sign, few years of misery
under it, and final return to the
sound principles of protection.
The folly of Senator Cullom is fun
| damental. 1t assumes that the tariff
| question can be anything but a polit-
ical question. Protectiomsts and free
trade men differ radically. Protec-
tionists believe that every American
industry which is capable of supplying
domestic demands for its products
with a sufficient surplus to permit do
mestic competition to set up should be
| protected The amount Of protection
does not matter, so that it is enough.
It's object is to give the American mar
ket to the American producer. If it
does this, it satisfies the projections
lists. If it does not, they wish the
tariff to be made higher All other
products they would admit free, and
| If in the protected articles the tariff is
not made prohibitive, it is owing to
the necessities of revenue. The ma
tional government cannot do without
some revenue from imported articles,
and the policy of protectionists is such
a reasonable adjustment Of duties rs
will produce The necessary revenue, to
| be laid on competitive or Don-competi-
| tive commodities, as may seem best,
preferably on articles imported large
ly but which, like sugar, we produce
| to some extent. The free traders
have an entirely different theory. IL
they gould they would abolish all tax
on imports except port and lighthouse
dues. But they also are constrained
| by the necessity of revenue and recog-
nlZe that there must be tariff law.
In framing it, however, they would
levy duties, so far as possible, on COM
modities which we cannot or do not
| produce and, therefore, must import.
They do this because revenue being
| their only reason for consentipg to
any tariff on imports they choose
those articles which we must import,
| because from them the most certain
and largest revenue can be got from
the smallest number of commodities.
| They do not give protection any con-
sideration whatever. While all this is
the theoretical policy of the two par
ties, practically all American tariff
| laws have been compromises. With
free trade congress the tariff would
give the least possible protection. A
protectionist congress would give the
most possible protection.
The question of protection or free
trade is matter of opinion. On that
the American people have always di.
vided. The Republican party has al
most no permanent distinctive doc
trine except that of protection. The
|
manent distinctive doctrine except
that of free trade. To take the tariff
question 'out of politics" would leave
neither party much Of anything ex
cept scramble for offices, under OF
portunIst pretenses such as the Dem.
ocratic party now makes with respect
to the passing issues of the day. The
Republican party is now in power. 1t
is responsible for carrying on the gov
ernment. On such a vital question as
that of the tariff the leaders have no
right to take Democrats into counsel.
Let Republican congress assume re-
sponsibility for Legislation or no legis-
lation on Republic principles and al
low the Democrats the privilege Of
voting the other way and bringing the
people to their views, if they can
| San Francisco Chronicle.