The Washington herald., 1907-07-24
WEDNESDAY. JULY a. 1891.


One Of the notable features Of the tariff
revision movement IS the sentiment
among manufacturers in favor OF IL.
Some time ago the National Manufac-
turers' Association passed resolutions
asking for a revision of the Dingley
schedules, and also for a tariff commits
sion as permanent fixture Of the Gus
toms administration. II. Z. Miles, a Wis
consin manufacture. who is chairman of
the tariff and reciprocity committee Of the
association, and has recently visited Pres
ident Roosevelt, declares the purpose of
the manufacturers TO push the tariff ques-
ton strongly at the next session Of Con-
gress. He holds the view that it would be
better to have the issue taken out OF poll
ties and placed I'm the hands OF taTiff
commission at once than TO go through
the dangerous and trying experience of a
Presidential campaign made extra acute
by tariff discussion partly Of a wild and
unreasonable nature. necessarily partisan
and even spiteful" Whether AIr Roose-
Welt is favorable TO this programme does
not appear, though il is well known that
lac has in The past been committed TO the
tarih-commission proposition. Mr.. Miles.
however represents the President as
studying with the greatest interest the
tariff situation" and seems 10 regard Mr..
Roosevelts apparent Indifference 10 the
tariff issue as due TO lack Of trustworthy
information concerning the inequalities
OF the tariff. On this point Mr.. Miles
makes an interesting observation:
There IS only one conclusion that in NY mind
spells Roosevelt. He surely does not know that at
this moment b. his silence he is in many directions
the most efficient factor IN the increase Of swollen
fortunes The inequalities Of the tariff schedules
now operative are unnecessarily, ueedessy, improp-
eTly taking, by governmental sanction hundreds Of
millions Of dollaE from the many and adding them
to the fortunes that the President is watching with
alarm.
He is thinking Of letting the game die before he
takes the hide Just wait until he looks further into
The proposition"
The inference to be drawn from this is
that if the President knew the facts about
the operation of the tariff he would at
once set about reforming il. The Manu-
factureTs' Association has undertaken to
provide him with the facts, some Of
which, according TO Mr.. Miles, are suf-
ficiently startling. Mr.. Miles asserts. for
instance, that the steel schedules are so
high that Republicans interested in that
industry believe they ought to be reduced.
for political reasons, if for no others. The
Standard Oil Company. which is popularity
supposed not TO be a beneficiary of the
tariff, is protected by a duty of $50 per
cent or more from importations from the
only country which has oil to export to
this country. So. too. the coal trust
whose product is on the free list. Is pro
tected from the competition Of Welsh coal
by an ingenious device. The Dingley
schedules. in short, appear 10 be full of
gross favoritism, and all sorts Of inequali-
ties bearing heavily on consumers. and
producers alike. 1t is encouraging 10 note
that the latter are now camping on the
trail OF Congress and the Executive. Per
haps the powers that be. who have hith-
erto been deaf TO appeals from the con-
sumner, may be induced to pay some atten-
ton to the demands Of manufacturers.