The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1908-02-05

as two years without possibility of pre-
vention.
Old Commission.
1--WE once, | remember, had a tariff
commission, and [ am told that it's re-
port was so voluminous that it was never
even read. l fear greatly that your
tariff commission would turn itself into
debating school, just as we do with
ourselves here in the House, and there
would likely be majority and a mi
nority report. | never yet ran against
an economic question of any sort that
could not have much said for it on either
side
The speaker remarked that what
troubled him far more than the problem
of tariff revision was the presence of the
period of liquidation following u years
of such prosperity as the world had not
seen in all its history and he ventured
that if the country would have the OPP
portunity to return to its status of six
months ago that chance would be EN-
braced by every man within his hearing
as of inestimably more worth than any
tariff revision that the skill of man could
frame.
Payne's Position.
Mr.. Payne made his position clear by
appealing TO the delegates to see the UNI
wisdom of the appointment of Neces-
sarily) partisan tariff commission, as pro-
posed in the Beveridge bill, lat the heels
of a financial panic on the eve Of a
presidential campaign. You would not
ask a committee of Congress to under
take tariff revision at such time" he
said; yet now, how much more disturb
ing it would be to have a commission
holding public hearings on the tariff at
this time
81 think the signs of the times are that
next winter this Congress will undertake
a revision of the tariff. Shall we get
our working Information at first hand
from the producers themselves, or shall
we content ourselves with getting it Sec
ond hand from a body of men appointed
as "A tariff investigation commission?
From what I have seen of the formation
OF tariff bills-and | have been IS years
a member of the ways and means COM
mittee and for the last nine years it's
chairman-I should by all means seek it
at first hand. You cannot convince me,
gentlemen, of the wisdom of appointing
such commission at this session."
Delegates Are Undated.
The action today of the leaders in
Congress in declaring that there would
be no tariff commission appointed at
this session of Congress has made til e
advocates of such a commission more
determined than ever to gain their
point. AT a conference tonight of tn e
representatives of leading commercial
organizations who are here in the in
terest of tn e passage of the bill in
PRODUCED by Senator Aldrichf creating
a tariff commission a resolution was
adopted reindorsing that measure and
asking for the immediate appointment
of such commission by the Congress.
The resolution proposed that the tariff
commission consider the question of a
maximum and minimum tariff, 80 that
we may be put on an equitable basis of
trade relations with foreign countries.
The action of the meeting tonight is
regarded as an answer to the adverse
decision of the leaders in Congress. The
representatives of the trades bodies will
tomorrow call upon President Roose-
welt and endeavor to persuade him to
send a special message to Congress on
the subject.