The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-09-18

speech what seems to me as true to-
day as II then was, that the danger
ci excessive rates was In the tompta-
ton they created to form monopolies
in the protected circles, and thus to
take advantage of the excessive rates
by increasing the prices, and there
fore In order to avoid such danger
II was wise at regular intervals to
examine the question what the effect
OF the rates had been upon the indus
tries In this country and whether the
conditions with respect TO the cost of
production hero had so changed as to
warrant reduction In the tariff and
to make lower rate truly protective
of the industry.
ut will be observed that the object
OF the revision under such a state
ment was not to destroy protected In
dustries in this country, but II was
to continue to protect them where
lower rates offered sufficient pro
lection tosprevent injury by foreign
competition. That was the object of
the revision as advocated by me, and
~ Woo tCitd tilt ODJtNi VI th' "
vision as promised In the Republican
platform.
The ways and means committee OF
the house, with MIR. Payne at It's
head, spent a full year in the investi-
cation, In assembling evidence In ref
erenee to rates under the tariff, and
devoted an immense amount of work
in the study Of the question where
the tariff rates could be reduced and
where they ought to be raised with a
view to maintaining reasonable pro-
tective rate, under the principles OF
the platform, for every industry that
deserved protection. They found that
tho determination OF the question
what was the actual cost of produc-
tion and whether an industry in this
country could live under a certain rate
and withstand competition from
abroad was a question of the utmost
difficulty in settling. The manufac-
turers were prone to exaggorate the
injury which a reduction in the duty
would give and to magnify the
amount of duty that was needed,
while the importers, on the other
hand, who were Interested In develop
ing the importation from foreign
shores, were quite likely to be equal
ly biased on the other side.
Mr.. Payne reported a bill--the
Payne tariff bill-which went to the
senate, and was amended in the sen.
ate by increasing the duty on some
things and decreasing Il on others.
The difference between the house bill
and the senate bill was very much
less than the newspapers represent
ed. IL turns out upon examination
that the reductions in the senate
were about equal to those in the
house, though they differed In tharac-
ter. Now there Is nothing quite so
difficult as the discussion of tariff
bill, for the reason that II covers so
many different items. The meaning
OF tho terms and the percentage are
most difficult TO understand. The.
passage of new bill, especially
where change in the method OF as
sessing the duties has been followed,
presents an opportunity for various
modes and calculations of the per.
centages of increases and decreases
that is really most misleading, or
really throws no light at all upon tho
changes made"
Mr.. Taft said it would be utterly
useless and distressing to business to
bring about further discussion of tho
tariff during the present or next scs-
sion OF congress, and added that It
would require the three years OF his
administration for the commission to
collect facts which would Justify the
taking up of the tariff on more sci.
eDtific basis than ever before.
The president explained the high
cost of living as follows: "The high
cost of living, of which so per cent is
consumed in food, 25 per cent In
clothing and 20 per cent In rent and
fuel, has not been produced by the
tariff, because the tariff has remained
the same while the increases have
gone on. II Is due to the change of
conditions the world over. Living
has increased everywhere In cost--in
countries where there is free trade
and In countries where there is pro
lection"