Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1908-01-02
PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT Is
COMMITTED TO PROTECTION.
Deprecates Hasty Revision and Ad-
vocates Minimum Tariff that Shall
Be Adequately Protective.

On the subject of tariff revision the
President in his annual message of De-
celnber recognizes unQualifledly the
fact that protection has been Installed
as the permanent policy of the United
States. Moreover, he records his full
acceptance of the proposition that there
must always be in such an economic
system a stable minimum tariff ade-
quate alike for the purposes of revenue
and for the protection of American Ia
Dor and industry against the unfair
competition of lower foreign payrollS.
Protectionists will welcome this plain
declaration regarding two points of car
dinal consequence the permanent
cy of protection as a national policy,
and second, the maintenance of fixed
minimum tariff that shall at all times
be adequately protective and only sub
ject to change by legislative action.
Carried to a logical and necessary
conclusion this would completely mega
tive the maximum and minimum tariff
plan of the advocates of reciprocity in
competing products. 1t requires in
stead a minimum and maximum tar
if. if we are to go into dual tariffs for
trading purposes The minimum shall.
as in the case of Germany and France,
provide adequate protection, while the
maximum, again as in the case of Ger
many and France, shall operate as a
penalty and discrimination against
the exports of countries refusing to
grant their most favored tariff rates to
exports from the United States.
This is sound protectionist doctrine.
1t is also sound economically and com
mercially. The President says:
This country is definitely commit
ted to the protective system and any
effort to uprOot it could not but cause
widespread industrial disaster. In 9th
err words. the principle of the present
tariff law could not with wisdom be
changed. But in a country of such phe-
nomenal growth as ours 1t is probably
we'll that every dozen years or 50 the
tariff laws should be carefully scrutin-
lied so as to see that no excessive or
improper benefits are conferred there
by, that proper revenue is provided
and that our foreign trade is encour-
aged. There must always be as mini
mum a tariff which will not only allow
for the collection of an ample revenue,
but which will at least make good the
difference in cost of production here
and abroad; that is, the difference In
the labor cost here and abroad, for the
well being of the wageworker must
ever be Il cardinal point of American
policy. The question should be APP
preached purely from business stand
point; both the time and the manner
of the change being such as to arouse
the minimum of agitation and disturb
ance in the business world, and to give
motives. The sole consideration should
be to see that the sum total of changes
represents the public good. This means
that the subject cannot with wisdom be
dealt with in the year preceding
presidential election, because as a mat
Ter Oh TACT experience mas cOHcluSlNelE
shown that at such a time it is impos-
sible to get men to treat it from the
standpoint of the public good. In my
Judgment the wise time to deal with
the matter is Immediately after such
election"
AS to the proper time for tariff re-
vision that is and must remain a mat
ter Of Individual Judgment. Most GER
tain of all things is the fact that the
present would be the worst possible
time for tariff disturbance. Too much
has already been done along that line.
How to undo the mischief already done,
and not how to do more, should be the
study of the day.-Americsn Econo-
mist