Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1908-11-27
WARNING FROM VANCLEAVE
Intimates that Standpatters Control
Tariff Hearings. =
HONEST REVISION IS NECESSARY
Says IL Is Up TO Republican Adminis-
tratIOn to Make Good Promises
In the PRrty's Pint
form.

ST. LOUIS, Nov. 26.-Regarding the tariff
hearings before the ways and means CON-
mittee at Washington, James w. Van
Cleave, president of the National Associa-
ton of Manufacturers. gave out the fol-
lowing today:
Several strange things connect themselves
with these hearings. / am told about 100
out of the 10000 heads of factories in the
country received notice TO appear before
the committee. In most cases the notice
which they received was too short TO allow
them to present carefully prepared state
ments. although all OF them have the privi-
lege of submitting briefs at any time prior
to December The hearings, which will
close on December 4. will have covered
only about three weeks in the aggregate
The questions put by the leading members
of the committee 10 trsssdc Insnufa cturerE
are admirably calculatedStt}, cali ont am
swers asking for the retention of the pres
ent rates of duties, or advances In them.
do you not believe that your present
duties should be maintained?" This is the
usual query. Scarcely ever is It put thus:
do you think your rates should be re-
ducedY' Eastern papers state that under
this seductive coaching one manufacturer
who has duty of 30 per cent now on his
product, and who acknowledges that he is
making profit ON IT,. asks to have the
duty Increased TO 40 per cent and wants to
have the duty taken off the materials
which he uses I'm his factory, thus giving
him a chance to swell his profits in two
directions One or two manufacturers who
asked for lower duties on their own wares
made my friend Chairman Payne gasp.
presume that the committe aims to get,
through these hearings, information on
(which II can base bill for the revision OF
the Dingley bill In its platform of 1908
the republican party declared for revision
In special session of congress to be cal ed
by the new president just after his inaugu-
ration. The country, including the National
Association of Manufacturers assumed that
this meant honest and not bogus revision.
On this presumption / and a large majority
of the other members of the association
supported Mr. Taft during the campaign.
We used all the influence which we could
exert In favor of his election.
] want to say right here that as, in its
membership, the National Association of
Manufacturers covers also all the great
crafts of the country we never have, as
an association, urged any specific changes,
up or down, in any particular schedules.
| AS practical men, however, we know that
changes are needed In many cases, and that
| the public imperatively demands them. All
that we ask Is that the change be honest
President-eIect Taft quoted.
AS shown by his speeches and interviews
| during the campaign, Presdent-elect Taft
also Interpreted this platform declaration
| from things which some of his close friends
have said about him In the last few days,
that, in his message to congress az the
| opening of the extra session, he VIII insist
| that the platform promise OF honest re-
vision must be carried out, in spirit and in
| letter.
| a tariff which includes over 1000 items
will cover only about three weeks, sup
/ pose that my friend Payne must nave az,
/ all the leading industrial and conmerclal
! centers of Europe and As la. presumably
| the long session of congress closed last
! spring and they Will continue their work
| until the eve of the extra session, have
/ seen no word yet in the Dapers about the
| activity of these delegated Investigators,
but Mr.. Payne knows the inadequacy or
his committees ingnlTddesd gdd ana for ne tb tSr9 sS
Elementary work in the leading old world
| centers of trade.
| Mr. Payne's easy confidence in being
| able TO make a Teadjustment of the tariff
! schedules which will be satisfactory to
the country must mean that he has pro-
| / am strengthened In this belief by the
| fact that he knows that Germany, as
preliminary to its latest tariff revision,
| created a commission of thirty-two eN-
perts and that they gave five years or IN
| Vestigation to the subject many or them
| visiting every country on the globe with
| which Germany had any trade. several
| of them came to the United states.
MOreyeP our tariff STers 9mT Industries Is more Sre
| three times as great In volume. IN get
ting its tariff investigations made by
| board Of experts. Germany was applying
business principles to what is pre-eminently
| a business subject Railroads, great Indus
trial and commercial houses and all the
| other larger enterprises in the United
| States employ experts to inquire into bust
ness conditions and make reports on which
plans for future activity can be based.
! The men who are running the big corpora
| ton called the United States government,
know that the trade laws Of the universe
| viii not suspend themselves for their graft
| fication.
| II any one supposes that he can safely
| assail the public's patience he is taking
| a gamblers chance. That Is how IL looks
| to me at this moment. In politics as IN
| everything else there Is a hereafter, al
| thought some of our lawmakers some
| times seem to forget this. In
the hereafter may strike US in 1912. IL ID
gets sufficient provocation 1t may hit
! us In the congressional election OF 1910.
We, who worked and voted for TAFT and
| a republican congress who believe that he
/ and the republican platform mean exactly
| what they said and who have faith In his
! sincerity, his courage. his prOgressiveness,
| and his devotion TO republican principles,
| call upon Mr.. Taft and the ways and
means committee not 70 forget the eiemen-
] taTy truths.