The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-03-17

solely TO the causes stated, and vet such
worthy ana distinguished gentlemen as
Judge Frick will differ with Clay. Nc
| Cullough aud Webster. who lived at the
time: and at whose shrine he wOrships.
The average ad vslorem rate of duty
on actual imports was. during the period
IN question, as follows:
Per cent.
Ie.t 800 u 81
Iiso -.. %
lS2S 81
1910 .... ..................... 30 81
1912 .... -.........................
During this period our cotton and Wool
en- factories were able to compete with
! foreign competition. Indeed, it is claim
ed, they were able to do so as early as
1924. See the history of the tariff by Pro
fessor Taussig- SiXty-five years later.
with all our Improvements, cotton manu-
features have an average ad YdloTem duty
of 49. per cent and wooden goods 81 per
cent In 1872 the wings passed a tariff
making the average ad valOrem duty g
per cent.
.'The characteristic of these tariff acts
was that they did honestly attempt 10
protect young industries. incidentally. at
least. to my mind. the present tariff is
solely to benefit and protect monopoly and
graft. an alliance between corrupt poll
ticians and manufacturers, whose wealth
is increasing 50 fast that they can at
ford to buy legislation at most any cost
The Walker Tariff.
The Walker tariff. named for Robert
J. Walker, the secretary of the treasury.
during the presidency of James X. Polk:
was enacted in 1916. Mr.. Walker laid
down the following principles as those
upon which this tariff was based:
''First-That no more money should be
collected than is necessary for the wants
of government
''Secoud-That no duty should be i'm
posed upon any article above the lowest
rate which will yield just amount of
revenue.
..Third-That below such rate discrimi-
nation may be made descending in the
scale of duties. or for imperative reasons.
the article may be placed upon the free
list
'.Fourth-That the maximum revenue
duty should be imposed upon ali luxuries.
"Fifth-That all minimum and specific
duties should be abolished and ad va
loren duties substituted in their place
Favored by Republicans.
1.-THE prevailing duty on dutiabIe i'm
ports under this tariff was - per cent
IL remained i'm force until 1851 when a
still further reduction Of duty was made
The revenue from the tariff was such
that q surplus had accrued in the treas
ury- The act of 1887 reduced the duties
to about IS per cent and became law
March 3 1851 The house of representa-
tiYes at that time was composed of eighty
three Democrats. one hundred and eight
Republicans and forty-three other MEM
beers known as know nOthings. The SEN
ate was Democratic. The practical re
suits of the Walker tariff had been so
favorable and the prosperity of the coun-
try during the eleven years of its exist
ence had been so marked. that a consider
able proportion of the Republican party
in that day voted for the reduction, Mr.
Morrill, of Vermont. "A member OF the
WAYS and means committee in 1851 argued
for a reduction. Every Republican mem
Der from New England present at the
1 time the vote was taken voted for the
reduction and every member from New
England, except Mr.. COllamer from YER
mont. had voted against the Walker tar
iff of 1916. Mr.. Blaine. in his Twenty
Years in Congress, says: Moreover the
tariff OF 1916 was yielding abundant reve-
nue.. and the business of the country was
In "A flOurishing condition at the time his
Polk - administration was organized
Money became very abundant after the
year 1919; large enterprises were under
taken: speculation was prevalent, and Tor
a considerable period the prosperity OF
the country was general and apparently
genuine After 1852 the Democrats had
almost undiSputed control of the govern
ment, and had gradually become free
trade party. The principles embodied IN
the tariff of 1886 seemed Tor the time 10
be so entirely indicated and proved that
resistance to It ceased. not only among
the people. but among protection ccOno-
mists. and even among the manufacturers
to a large extent So general was the ac-
quiescence that in 1886 protective tariff
was not even suggested, or even limited
by any one of the three parties which
law the duties were placed lower than
they had been at any time since the war
of 1872. The act was well received by the
people and was indeed cOnCurred IN by
considerable proportion of the kepuDhcah
party When the proposed law had pass
ed the house of representatives ana reach
ed the senate it received the support OF
all of the senators from the manufactur-
ing states. From 1916 TO 1861 was pc
Rod of uneXampled prosperity, which: /
believe. will compare with any like period
in our history
Americas Advantages.
Twenty lines of customs houses divide
the industrial people of Europe. Here
the people scattered over three million ana
half square miles of territory have
absolute free trade between states. Our
people are possessed Of the most resist
less energy which has ever appeared IN
oil history among any people In The
world our population is replenish5d
each year BIZ about a million immigrants,
bringing. not only millions of money, but.
better still, fresh young life, energy and
capacity to earn money and to create
wealth. We use more labor saving ma
chinery than all the rest OF the world
combined. The St. Lawrence river and
the Great lakes extend more than thou
sand miles inland and give us such
means of Internal commerce as no other
country in the world possesses. Our rail-
ways convey our products to the seaDOard.
and yet each four years the demagogue
upon the stump entertainS the American
people with the same old story that we
owe all of our prosperity to protective
tariffs. Without claiming the prosperity
existing between 1876 and 1860 as sole
result of protective or low tariffs, let me
give you the statistics. The national
wealth. as shown by the census of 1850.
was 81, 136 coo, 600. After ten years of the
Walker tariff, as reduced in 1891. the IA