Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-09-05
TAFT ON THE TARIFF.
Views Expressed Disappointment to
Revisionists.

Revisionists. !
Some hopes were kinded in the
minds of a few tariff revsionists by !
the tariff plank of the Chicago plat !
form. But Mr.. Taft in his speech of !
acceptance has gone far toward shat |
tering these hopes. He reads into the
Republican platform the statement
that "a tariff shall be imposed on all I,
imported products, whether of the fac |
tory, farm or NINE" sufficient to equal !
1.-THE difference between the cost of
production abroad and at home" and
embrace a reasonable profit to the |
American producer"
This is the first intimation that in
the proposed revision there is to he no
free list. but duties are to be imposed
on "aIl imported products" On nu-
merous articles not capable of com
mercial production in the United
States, such as coffee. tea, india rubber /
and many tropical products, it will be
difficult TO make the tariff high enough
to conform to the prescribed rule I'M
less importation be absolutely prohib
tied. On many articles now admitted
free which can be produced in this
country only with great difficulty it
will be necessary to lay duties so eX-
cessive as to compel their production
here at an enormously increased cost
to consumers.
,I, g
tain articles not readily produced here
has been recognized in all tariffs here
tofore enacted. and the practical neces-
|. sity of admitting free certain foreign
woods, ores and other materials needed
to supplement our rapidly vanishing
natural resources is coming to be gen.
orally accepted, but Mr.. Taft out-Ding
leys the Dingley tariff and declares in
effect that we shall get no advantage
whatever from the purchase of any ar
ticle produced abroad at less cost than
it can be made here, even though its
production here is impossible or gross
waste of effort
The promise of revision in the Chi
cago platform was indefinite and dis
| appointing enough, but the obtuseness
of the candidate to the urgent necessit
| for decided relief from discriminating
and trust breeding schedules must lead
those who favor real tariff reform to
| look elsewhere. He reiterateS the
| claim that the duty must cover not
only the difference In the cost of pro-
| ducing here and abroad, but also
reasonable profit to the American
manufacturer. Our protected interests
are not satisfied to be put on an even
| footing with foreign competitors. They
| insist on making an extra reasonable
! profit in addition to a profit equal to
| that of the foreign maker The for
eigner must pay transportation charges
| on the goods he sends us, and he must
make profit or he cannot send them
| long, but our manufacturer must first
be protected by duty equal to the
| difference in cost of production in adj
| dition to the natural protection of
transportation cost and then on top of
that an additional reasonable profit"
| Who Is to determine what is reason
| able" under such circumstances? To
open the door to any such claim is to
be grossly unreasonable to American
consumers, who pay all these profits
BY means of this 'joker" the most ex-
tortionate tariff graft will be justified
and allowed. as it has been in the past.
1t avails little to say. as Mr.. Taft
does. that in a number of schedules
the tariff exceeds what is proper, meas
ured by this rule. and that the excess
offers temptation to monopoly. The
monopoly tempted manufactures first
hides his own real cost Of production.
making costs aIN)ear as high as posi-
BILE. then belittles the costs of his for
eign competitor. pointing, falsely in
most cases, to lower scale Of wages
abroad as indicating lower labor cost,
and then he grabs for his reasonable
extra profit. The makers Of the tariff
even ii they wish to be Just. are.at bis