The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1907-01-31
IDEAL TARIFF BILL
CRITICS OF THE PRESENT LAW
HAVE A DUTY TO PERFORM.
Those Who Find So Much Fault With
the Tariff az II Is Should be Able
TO Formulate improvements
That viii Meet All Re
quirements.

In all sinccreity and good faith, we
call for a tariff revision bill at the
hands of the progressive" gentlemen
who are so strenuously insisting upon
immediate action by the dominant
party, lest through neglect thereof the
party that Is in should DO displaced by
the party that Is out II the exigency
is so pressing as all that. and N, as is
claimed. there Is involved in the exist
ing tariff more of extortion and graft
than have been practiced in life In.
surance since life insurance was in
vented, then II is up 10 the progress
ives" TO come forward forthwith with
the draft of a measure for the CON-
plete reform OF this terrible tarin. In
all conscience they ought not 10 stand
back and walt for somebody else 60
undertake the work. They, being the
ones who pick the flaws and find the
faults with the tarin az It Is. are the
very ones TO come promptly to the
foreground with plan Of rectincation.
They are the ones who know how bad
INV tltf tlkRf eAU Aht
ones TO remedy the condition.
Governor Cummlns should by all
means step to the front. He knows.
no man better, what a fearful instru-
ment of wrong and oppression the
Dingley tariff Is. Naturally he should
be the head of a volunteer tariff com.
mission. Governor Guild would. OF
course. be the vice chairman. Who
can speak so authoritatively regard
ing the sufferings Of the boot and shoe
millionaiTes OF Massachusetts, because
OF the atrocious tariff on hides? Mr..
Foss viii naturally have a controlling
voice in determining what TO do In
the matters OF free raw materials and
Canadian reciprocity. CongressmeH
Mccall and Ames could help greatly.
for they are Tremendously alive 10 the
pressing necessity for tariff reform.
There are others so numerous that
space is too short for mention In de
tail who would be OF signal usefulness
We do not include John sharp VII
liams. Champ Clark and Bourke Coch-
ran Ia the category because OF the fear
that their presence and cooperation
might prove somewhat embarrassing
Still. they might be consulted on the
quiet. for their help will be needed on
roll calls later on. The president Of
the Sugar trust, high authority on
reduced sugar tariff rates. and the
president Of the Tobacco trust. always
interested In lower tobacco duties.
would make excellent members Of the
commission.
These suggestions arc purely ten,a.
tive. Far be II from assuming 10 die
tate. But we do feel certain that we
offer a valuable hint when we urge
that The volunteer tariff commission
should take shape and activity at the
earliest possible moment The coun-
try Is looking 20 the reformers and
progressives for the ideal tariff bill
OF course, they can draft such a bill
without the slightest difficulty. Know
ing. as they do. how utterly abomina-
Bile the present tariff II, II follows
necessarily that they know just how to
improve H. All they have TO do Is TO
utilize their proficiency as tarinf max.
ers and agree upon the bill TO be sub
mitted 10 the house committee on
ways and means. No need 10 wait
for an extraordinary session OF con-
gress 20 be called next spring. Less
need to wait until 1909. The time 10
act Is now. The volunteer commission
can be called together inside OF three
days, and, once together. we don't
suppose Il would take more than three
hours for the experts to agree upon a
detailed list of the reductions 20 be
made In the Dingley schedules. SO
easy It Is for those who have mastered
the tariff in all its intricacies TO de
eide as to what should be done.
Let the volunteer tariff commission
get together and get 10 work. The
country wants this question OF altered
tariff rates settled. IL wants bill OF
particulars, a bill that II can read, I'M
derstand and admire Delay Is repre-
hensible under existing conditions.
We might almost say inexcusable.
Bring on the ideal tariff reform bill.
Possibly II would strike congress SO
favorably that. instead OF ten months
ordinarily devoted TO such matters. II
would pass both houses in ten min
utes, Who can tell? At all events.
let us have the bill right away.