The Irish standard., 1909-05-15
TARIFFS FOR REVENUE ONLY.

For the past twelve years and more,
the American people have tried the
Dingley tariff for raising revenue and
affording protection to home indus
tries and found it unsatisfactory. De-
mands for lower tariff had been
made from time to time, but were dis
regarded by the representatives of the
beneficiaries of the tariff in congress.
At last, for. fear of the wrath of the
people, the party in power promised
to revise the tariff after the presiden-
tial election of 1908: and to carry out
the pledge "unequivocally," made in
the Republican platform, an extra
ordinary session Of congress was
called by President Taft to crafty
the wishes of the people who had
elected him to office.
Congress for the last two months
has been graphing with the question.
The Republicans believe in tariff for
protection. while the Democrats be-
itShC' III ldIiIl IOl ICVCIlue OIllS ldIllL
for either purpose must be necessarily
high, for there is a deficit of about
$92,000,00O in the national treasury at
the present time. and it is constantly
increasing. A reduction of tariff
rates would soon wipe out the deficit
but increasing the rates will increase
the deficit and make things worse
than before. To the great surprise of
the people. Congress, instead Of re-
ducing tariff rates. has increased them
in both the Payne and Aldrich bills
for the sole benefit of Eastern manu-
facturers, and the will of the people
is again thwarted. To be sure, the
Republican members of both houses
are split on the schedules, the Western
men being almost unanimously
against the measure. as it stands. but
there is every indication that their OPP
position will prove futile and that the
bill will pass in spite of them.
The only protection from tariff ex-
tortion will then be the Presidents
veto. Whether he will exercise his
prerogative of vetong the bill remains
to be seen. 1t will not do for him to
refuse his signature to the BILL as Mr..
Cleveland did on a similar OCCASION, for
it would then become law and impose
a heavier burden on Che people than
they now bear. To Taft the people
look for relief, and if he fails them,
his political career will be of short
duration.
We think that from political
standpoint, 1t would have been better
for the Democrats in Congress to re-
main neutral in the tariff controversy
between the Republicans. Instead of
enjoying the Kilkenny cat fight be-
tween their divided opponents they
plunged into the fray, and some of
them-principally from the South
joined the high protectionists. Per-
haps their constituents will endorse
their action. but their party as a whole
certainly deem their action reprehen-
sible in the extreme.
For many years the tariff has been
the bone of contention between the
two great parties. The Republicans
wanted tariff for infant industries that
have now grown to monstrous size.
but still cry for the delicious pap more
vehemently than ever. The Republi-
can spellbinders told the unsophisti-
Gated laboring men that the tariff
would save them from the pauper la
Dor of Europe. but it didn't: and the
laboring men found 1t necessary to
organize for the purpose of enforcing
their demands for fair, living wage,
They have long since realized the
truth of the political dictum that
wages are regulated by the supply
and demand in the labor market" 1t
was only recently that the same truth
was forcibly enunciated by Senator
Nelson Of Minnesota. in his debate
with Aldrich
The Republican orators told the Ia =
boring men that because of the tariff
their wages would be high as COM
pared with European wages, but neg
lected to tell them that the cost of
living would be correspondence in
creased and that at the end of the
year they would have no more money
than at the beginning. What differ
ence does it make to a man WORKING
on a fixed salary or to a man paid
fixed wages when the cost of living is
high? 1t makes big difference.
That fact was illustrated in
the case of local Judge who
left the district bench about the
time the Dingley bill came into oper-
alton. He was receiving $4,000 a year
on the bench and when asked why he
gave it up by resigning his position,
he truthfully declared that he could
not serve anv lon1er m oc,arn. 80 4,