The Washington times., 1908-01-15
For Tariff Facts.

Senator Beveridge, by his bill for
q tariff commission, proposes to ac-
compIish. two most laudable pur-
poses-to take the tariff out of
politics and to obtain an exact and
complete guide for tariff revision.
The tariff is q subject so vast and
intricate, so involved and many
sided that it presents the most per-
picking of all legislative problems.
We may agree on protection IN
theory. but we differ in its practice.
We may urge revision, but would
want to reverse the very schedules
another would preserve as sacred.
You would cover a thousand things
with the free list upon which we
would seek to impose higher duties.
The North and the South, the East
and the West, the Lake region and
the Gulf States, the coast countries
and the inland people, all have
different and conflicting ideas, all
see the tariff from viewpoints far
apart, all are moved by local rea-
sons and selfish motives, which the
others cannot see or understand.
Senator Beveridge plans his tariff
commission to bring some order out
of the chaos and logically proposes
10 do so by getting the facts at first
hand. He would have the commits
sion composed Of high-cIass experts,
insuring their standing by paying
them a salary Of $500 a year and
paying all expenses involved in the
proper performance of their duties.
They must be appointed solely with
a view to their qualifications as
tariff experts and regardless of
their political affiliations. He would
have as his five members of this
cOmmission-one identified with the
producing interests, another a
lawyer who has made a special
study of the customs and tariff
laws of the United States, a third
one who has had special experience
in connection with the administra-
ton of these laws; fourth, one IA
miliar withindustrial and commercial
conditions in foreign countries
affecting competition of foreign
products with products of the
United States and thoroughly con-
versant with the customs and tariff
laws of those countries; fifth, an
economist and statistician who has
given special attention to the sub
ject of prices and cost of produc-
ton, as affecting the tariff.
He proposes to have this carefully
selected commission investigate i'm
mediately the cost Of production of
all articles covered by the tariff,
with special reference to the prices
paid American labor in comparison
with the prices paid foreign labor,
the prices of raw materials, whether
domestic or imported, entering into
manufactured articles, the condition
of domeGtic and foreign markets as
affecting American products, and all
other facts which, in the judgment
of said commission, may be neces-
sary or helpful to Congress in pro-
viding equitable rates of duties on
any article; and, in general, to
thoroughly investigate all the vari-
Gus questions relating to the manu-
featuring, agricultural, commercial.
and mining interests of the United
States so far as the same may be
necessary or helpful to Congress in
enacting custom tariff laws"
The commission is to be given
ample powers, abundant means, and
whatever assistance may be neces-
sary for accomplishing the work he
has outlined
Little is left to be said after the
bill has been read. It is clear and
adequate in its wording and makes
its own argument. In a statement
he recently made about the measure
the Senator says that no one who
is really for tariff revision can op-