The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-02-16
STAND PATTERS SLIDE
OUT OF INDIANAPOLIS
James W. VanClevei is Made Chairman of the Nationa
Tariff Commission Convention Without 0poston--
He Delivers a Forceful Address to the
't3. Gathering. ~ #


we all know, the railroad company
does not refer this work TO the
clerks in it's offices, or even to the
heads OF its passenger or freight de-
partments. 1t calls in men who
have made a life study Of such work,
and who are competent to deal with
It. Every other great business cor
poration proceeds in a similar way
all except the United States govern
ment. What this convention asks is
that, in the big business operation
which is just ahead of it, the United
States government shall follow the
example of the rest of the business
enterprises, at home and abroad
While reforms. improvements and
new departures are the order of the
day in all other human activities,
Congress, in the important work of
framing a tariff, clings to the old
landmarks. The rolling years teach
II nothing. In the preliminary work
of putting the tariff bill snto shape,
Mr. Payne and his associates are
making no visible change in the
methods followed by Mr.. Wilson in
the Democratic act Of 1894. or Mr..
Morrill,. in the first Republican tariff
measure that of 1861.
! will give som reasons why a
change in The collection OF facts TO be
used by your tariff trainers is imper-
alive The carded wool people say
that specific duties are unjust to-
them, and want ad vaIorem rates. On
the same goods the worsted manu-
facturers take directly opposite
ground. The New England shoe
manufacturers want free hides. Most
of the Western shoe men favor the
retention of the duty. Some of the
cattle men want the duties on hides
to be advanced. Like divergencies
are seen among the manufacturers Of
chemicals. automobiles, and in many
other lines OF trade Mfr. Carnegie
says that steel manufacturers could
stand free trade. Mr.. schwab says
the steel men need more protection
than ever
Who is to decide .equitably between
these interested 1Ihisputants? The
Ways and Means Committee lacks the
mental equipment and the impartial
ity to do this. Nor can Congress do
it.. Each of these contcnding par
ties presents a mass of matter to
sustain its side, most OF which IS
technical, and thus beyond the un-
derstanding of the committee. of
Congress, and of the average layman
To a certain degrees all the disput-
ants are right, and all are wrong
They are like the knights of old who
saw different SIDES Of a diver,ely fig
ured shield. Neither side sees
tbings, or can see them, from the
viewpoint Of the oUher.
IA board OF disinterested men of
large experience in trade such as
this convention proposes, could ad-
just all these Emergencies. They
would have the time, the patience and
the impartiality 10 look at the con-
troyerted points from all sides. They
would eliminate the non-essentials,
reconcile the yariances. They would
bring settlement which would be
fair enough to all interests to COM
mand the assent of Congress and the
country.
There is no fundamental difference
between tariff Emergencies and other
sorts of disputes. All need judicial
adjustment. What standing would a
court have in the community in which
either side OF the controversy would
act as attorney Judge and jury? And
yet this is virtually what is seen in
the fixing OF our tariff rates under
the present methods.
For the settlement of the thous-
ands OF dispute on all subjects which
are continullly arising we have
established hundreds of courts, fed
eral and state, And all of these
courts are kept hn.y. What would
be thought OF a system o. juris.
prudence which would refer all these
controversies 10 judiciary commit
tee OF Congress, and expect to see
them settled In two or three months,
and settled right? p actically speak-
ing, this l. the system which we
have been following in our tariff
revision
Ii is hardly necessary for me 10
tell this intelligent audience that
TINS method of shaping the tariff is
unfair to the Ways and Mems Com
m9itee and to Congress. 1t is OBJ
yiously and emphatically unfai- and
unjlst 10 the people, whose indus.
tries II disturbs, whose interest it
Delrays. and whose welfare u asgails.
Our judiciary machine provides us
wlth 1urles, trial courts and courts
OF appeal The tariff commission
would be the jury to sift the testi-
mony given by witnesses who speak
Tor the various industries, to weigh
the evidence which Is presented, and
70 render the verdict. The Ways
and Means Committee and Congress
would be the court OF appeal, be-
Tore which the verdict of the jnly
AMI the ruling OF the lower court
would be submitted and the final
decision rendered.
Here Jet me give q few words