The Roswell daily record. [volume] (Roswell, N.M.) 1903-current, 1909-02-17

tariff that will be just and helpful 10
tariff to favor farmers at the expense
of others, but a tariff that will be
just and helpful to every legitimate
industry and every honest man"
Senator Beveridge also addressed the
conference.
Address of Beveridge.
Within less than four months new
tariff will have been made. l hope
and believe it will be the best tariff
that Congress ever has constructed.
1t will be historic in this; that it will
be the last American tariff created
without the aid of a tariff commission
a commission to get facts and make
classiications for Congress; and not
to fix duties, which is the exclusive
business of Congress.
Immediate revision must not be de-
layed until a tariff commission is Gre
ated and has made necessary investi-
cations and arranged scientific classi
fications-that would require at least
two years and ought to take longer
period. So for the last time, we
must have a tariff ibuilded in the old
way. But that this bill shall be the
last tariff thus builded, we soon must
provide commission of tariff ex-
perts. The present emergency never
must be faced again.
Tariff Building on a Business Basis.
Heretofore, both parties have build
ed our tariffs without sufficient knowl
edge of the facts without scientific
classification of schedules. Both par
ties whether framing a so-called rev.
enue tariff or protective tariff, have
handled this intricate subject in a
way which would have crippled any
business man or corporation handling
their enterprises in the same fashion.
Both parties have made the tariff ex-
clusively POLITICAL; have waged cam
paignS as to whether our tariff policy
should he on the protective or reve-
nue. basis; work preparatory to revis-
ion has been delayed until the people
have ordered immediate revision; and
so, finally, new tariff has been rush
ed through without time or ability to
get the facts, without either the tech
nical knowledge or scientific skill to
make classifications.
Other Commissions for Less impor-
tant Subjects.
Except on the tariff, Congress has
seen the wisdom Of a commission of
experts to examine all sorts of sub
jects and report to Congress. Yet the
tariff is more difficult, intricate and
far-reaching than all other present
economic problems combined, except
ing only the problem of currency and
banking. In currency and banking
Congress has acknowledged that it
cannot wiAeiy legislate until a COM
mission shall have spent years in stu
dying our own chaos of financial laws
and the monetary systems of other
nations.
Congress icreated the Bureau of
Corporations for this purpose. After
years of thorough work by this bureau
no man in any party proposes to de-
stroy it Or stop it's labors. The same
is equally true of the Bureau of Labor
Congress created the Industrial Com
mission to find out certain facts. The
report of this commission and those
of the Interstate Comm cree Commits
sion resulted in the law for the De-
partment of Commerce and Labor, the
Bureau of Corporations, the Elkins
Law, the Rate Law, the immigration
Law and most of the reform laws of
the last six Or seven years.
Tariff Commission of 1882.
The tariff commission of 1882 devils
ed and recomm ended the most impor-
tant features of our present tariff ad-
ministration. 1t originated the ap-
praiser's court; and recommended
most of the administrative tariff
laws of the Treasury Department
which have since been adopted Con
gress provided for the administrative
machinery designed by this tariff com
mission.
But the tariff commission we ask
for now does not go so far as the tar
iff commission of 1882 went. We are
now asking only commission of ex-
perts to find out facts and make clas.
sifications. Congress is to fix duties
from these facts and adjust them to
these classifications.