Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-02-05
Tariff Commission Not to
Fix Duties or Sug-
gest Rates.
BEVERlDGE EXPLAINS
Indiana Senator Accorded q
Hearing on Bill Which Has
Been introduced.

Washington, Feb. 5.-Beveridge OF
Indiana today addressed the senate in
advocacy of his bill to create perma-
rent tariff commission. The senator
was accorded 4 careful hearing by
both members and spectators. He
said in part:
BeverIdge Is Heard.
The tariff is fixed by facts; how
to get at these facts is the first qLes-
ton in the whole tariff problem.
Common sense and experience answer
that question; we should create body
of experts to find out these facts for
us. These men should be the fittest
men that can be found for this work;
they should give their whole time to
this work and lay before us the result
of their work.
This bill seeks to create such Il
commission of experts to find ont the
facts upon which congress builds a
tariff and to make a classification of
articles TO which congress can plainly
and accurately fix customs duties.
Does Not Fix Duties.
by this bill. the commission, itself,
is not allowed to fix duties or even to
suggest any rate. The fixing of duties
is left to congress. The commission is
kept strictly to the task of gathering
facts and making clear classifications;
the first is expert investigating work,
the second expert clerical work.
Neither is legislative work.
The want of classiications of our
tariff is as bad as the want of facts.
Nearly all our tariff classifications are
more than a generation old. This is
because each time the tariff has been
revised. the committees have taken
the language of the old classifcatiOns.
Not one of them is systematic, accu-
rate and up-to-date.
Must Have Trade.
I'VE must have more foreign trade.
We must open foreign markets to our
live cattle which are now kept out of
those markets Our manufacturers
ask the same advantages in foreign
trade that the German government
gets for German manufacturers. Amer
lean producers demand that the doors
of other nations which are open TO
their rivals shall no longer be closed
TO them. We cannot open these doors
by a purely revenue tariff, because
such a tariff merely gives other ma
tions trade advantages with us with
out getting from those other nations
any trade advantages in return.
I'VE must have a system that gives
rs the same weapons that our rivals
have by which We can get for our pro-
ducers the same favors that our rivals
get for their producers. We must
have a maximum and minimum tariff,
the first to apply TO all nations that
will not give our producers special
fayors in their markets. and the last
to apply TO those nations that will give
cur producers favOrs in their markets.
BY this plan, German producers are
selling more German goods abroad
than any other nation. If We consider
area, wealth. history. and all other
elements of the problem. German pro
ducers are selling more German goods
abroad than any other five nations in
the world put together
Developed Our Plan.
Germany. Japan and the world fol
lowed our plan of a single protective
tariff. and then logically developed
that plan into double protective plan
We must be as wise now as they were
then; and just as they took the single
protective plan from them. Our man
ufacturers, our cattle men, our agri
culturists, our miners, our whole pro
ducing classes, ask only the same ad
yantages that their rivals have in tn,
markets of the world They demand
no more than this, but they will aC
cept no less than this. Tariff TO
trade; trade for prosperity; common
sense methods for both-these mus
henceforth be the American watcf
words in the worldwide contest 70
commerce"
Bill Drops Pension Agencies.
Washington, Feb. 5.-The appropri;
tions bill reported yesterday abolishe
pension agencies at Augusta, Maine
Boston, Mass; Buffalo, N Y; Chic;
go H.; Columbus Ohio; Concord, \
H.; Des Moines, Iowa; Detroit, Mich
indianapolis. Ind; knoxville, Tenn
Louisville, Ky; Milwaukee, Wis
New York City, N. Y; Philadelphi