New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1907-05-25
TAFT AND THE TARIFF.
LOYAL TO PROTECTION.
Bat AdUocateS Readjustment Of the
DmgIey Schedules.
From The Tribune Bureau. ]

]
way perturbed by the denunciation of the
American Protective Tariff League or it's Of
ffCers. or by declarations that he is a free
trader" While declining to talk for publca-
tion he has assured his friends that he Will not
! deviate one hairs breadth from his usual course
! because of such allegations nor will he modify
! in the slightest degree his views or his utter
/ ances the tariff. He is confident that no one
actually regards him free trader He has
/ too long been a loyal supporter OF the policy
/ of protection to American industries for any
/ intelligent Republican to think him free
! trader, and he regards the use of the term as
! applied to him with amusement
Mr.. Taft is. however an advocate of read
justment of the Dingley schudules. He an
nounced his views in uneQuivocal words nearly a
year ago and he feels that such popularity as
he may have gained in his party has come 20
him from men who clearly understand his posi-
ton. If the Republicans choose him for their
standard bearer, he thinks. II will be because
they believe that the time has come when they
can support Presidential candidate who holds
that lit would be wise and just to revise the
existing tariff" If on the contrary. majority
of the Republican party is convinced that its
best interests rest in the selection of standard
bearer who IS ardent "standpatter." it is
the Secretarys conviction that they should Sc
lect Speaker Cannon or some other candidate
who has persistently and effectively opposed
tariff revision and who is still antagonistic 10
a change of the Dingley schedules.
To some Of Mr.. Taft's friends his uncompro-
missing attitude on the question is the course of
anxiety but all who possess his confidence ap-
precate that 1t is futile to endeavor to persuade
him to yield TO what may he popular camor on
this subject or in the slightest degree to deviate
from the position he has clearly outlined.
PANAMA CANAL PURCHASES.
The charge that he proved himself disloyal TO
the protection principle when, two years ago. he
decided il TO be the duty OF the Isthmian Canal
Commission 10 purchase materials for the canal
abroad unless domestic manufacturers would
make equally reasonable prices Secretary Taft
regards as nonsensical, and his friends point TO
the fact that the Secretary clearly explained at
that time that he was convinced he without
discretion in the matter. and that he had pre-
vously urged such legislation as would relieve
the canal commission from the necessity OF at
tempting. without sufficient light to determine
the will OF Congress
IF Congress approves the policy OF favoring
American manufacturers and dealers. even II 1t
increases the cost OF the construction of the
canal II seems to me only just that II should
declare this policy by law and lay down rule
which tho commission can exactly follow said
Secretary Taft. closing a statement on this sub
ject addressed TO Congress under date of De-
cember |. 1904. Congress failed TO heed the
Secretarys request for guidance. and in May.
1905. the necessity for a decision arrived. on
May Is the President invited the executive COM
mttee OF the Isthmian Canal Commission and
the Secretary OF War to luncheon. and at this
meeting it decided that in the absence of
instructions from Congress It was the duty OF
ba geaIo ,ha
the most economical lines
Secretary Taft did not then express any
opinion regarding the merits of the question in
volved and no has never done so since He
confined himself to effort to determine the
duty OF the commission under the laws enacted
by Congress. maintaining that Congress should
be more explicit than il had then been on the
subject That Congress fully appreciated the
justice of the Secretarys demand for more ex-
plicit instructions is shown by the enactment Of
the Aldrich resolution. which was approved on
June 20. 1906. and which declares II to be the
sense of Congress that purchases of material
and equipment for use in the construction Of
the Panama Canal shall be restricted TO articles
of domestic production and manufacture from
the lowest responsible bidder unless the Pres-
dent shall in any case deem the bids or tenders
therefor to be eXtortionate or unreasonable
To just what extent Secretary Taft was re
sponsble for the decision that in the absence of
enactment by Congress II was the duty Of the
canal commission to purchase its supplies I'm the
cheapest market will probably never be known
but 1T is noteworthy that May Is. three days
after the White House luncheon at which the
decision was reached, The Tribune contained 4
dispatch from its Washington bureau stating
that president Roosevelt insists on the most
favored nation clause for the United States and
the manufacturers of the country will have to
accord that treatment to the government in So
far as purchases made for the Panama Canal
are concerned-at least. until Congress can pass
a law compelling the commission to pay domes-
tic prices for supplies"
THE PHILIPPINE TARIFF BILL.
Secretary Taft's loyalty to the doctrine of
protection has recently been attacked on one |
other ground-his advocacy of the Philippine |
tariff BIZ. His advocacy of that measure is in |
tense, but that this should show Il lack of 10y |
atty to the principle of protection is not ad-
mitted by the Secretarys friends who maintain |
that the company he has found in promotine; |
that measure disproves the charge. Not only |
did Speaker Cannon. whose "standpatism" none |
can doubt. make vigorous fight for the passage |
Of the Philippine hil but when it came to a |
final vote, 100 Republican members voted for it |
and only 30 against it, That was on January |
lG, 1906 1t is true that the measure failed TO |
become law because of opposition lin the SEN |
ate, but even there its opponents dared not per-
nit it to come to a vote in open Senate but re- |
sorted TO the subterfuge of killing it in COM |
mttee by means of an alliance of its Republican |
and Democratic opponents. this so-called "un- |
holy alliance" constituting a majority of the |
Oh