The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1909-07-30
WASHINGTON LETTER,

w ADu1NUlUN Lib Lib,
While the attention of all those int.
rested in the tariff is concentrated Just at
present on the efforts of the President to
secure certain specific reductions, such as
free hides, free coal, free iron ore and free
petroleum and the House rate of 81
thousand feet on lumber, the general
success of Mr.. Taft's influence in favor of
downward revision is likely to be lost
sight of. The Presidents demand for
these specific reductions partook some
what of the spectacular and has been
made the most of by the newspapers in
their efforts to add interest to situation
which is extremely technical and presents
many difficulties to those who would
write of its entertainingly. Each day
there are fluctuations in the situation
precipitated by the Presidents demands
and those make copy" to use news
paper phrase. But the consumer and the
voters are really more interested in the
small reductions which have been made
throughout the schedules of the Senate
bill. There is no doubt in the mind of
any unprejudiced observer that Mr.. Taft
has exerted material influence and that
but for his efforts the rates generally
would be considerably higher.
M
When the President and the people
come to cast up the results, unless all
present prospects fail, they will find small
reductions all along the line to the mum.
Der of about six hundrd. But of far more
Importance in the estimation of the Presi.
dent, and it is safe prediction that it will
be in the estimation of the people, will be
the provisions for corporation tax and
for tariff commission. These provisions
will, Mr.. Taft believes. afford the machin-
cry necessary to future tariff revision
which will be in accordance with the
tariff plank in the last national platform,
and without such machinery the fulfil
ment of that plank is an impossibility.
The fact is that President Taft is the lead
er of new school of protection new
just now, at least, although it is actually
a return to the argument originally
advanced in favor of the protective
policy. Those who first secured the
adoption of the protective policy SUBJ
united that wages abroad were much
lower than in the United States, that
many industries thrived in foreign coun-
tries that did not exist here and that in
order to maintain the demand for labor
in this country and so maintain higher
wage scale it was necessary 10 impose a
tariff which should equal the difference
in the cost of production here and abroad.
The policy was adopted, American in
dustries were established and the wage
scale was maintained. But prices to the
consumer were increased. This occasion
ed some protest but the professionals were
assured that once the infant industries
were fairly on their feet internal compe.
tition would cause reduction of prices,
especially as American enterprise and
American ingenuity would operate to
reduce the cost of production.
x*x
After a time there come the insistent
demand for lower duties which bore fruit
in that nondescript measure, the Wilson
German tariff bill. Coincident with its
adoption came a period of financial de-
preston and as soon as possible the Re-
publicans were restored to power and the
Dingley bill was enacted. It's rates were
high and the demand for lower prices
was again heard. Then men of the school
of the late Secretary of the Treasury,
Leslie M. Shaw, took the rostrum and,
advanced that the ideal tariff would con-
struct wall around the country which
would admit no imports but would trust
to domestic competition to lower prices.
Mr.. Shaw was fond of saying that his
father never thought it necessary, once
he had fenced his farm, to go around
knocking boards off the top because it
was too high. But there were others who
saw through the fallacy of that argument
They observed that domestic competition
was insufficient to bring down prices and
that instead trusts were being formed to
maintain them, while the consumer
suffered. Then arose the demand for a
measure of protection which would be
only sufficient to equal the difference be-
tween the cost of production here and
abroad thus reasonable profit for the
manufacturer. President Taft is the
leader of that demand. But he realizes
that with existing machinery there is no
possibility of measuring that difference
and so he regards bill which will pro.
vide that machinery as more important
to the ful6lment of the party pledge than
specific reductions in the tariff rates.
~
A great deal is being written about a
conflict between Clifford Pinchot. Nation.
al Forester and Judge R. A. Ballinger,
Secretary of the Interior, and the effort
is being made TO create the impression
that Mr.. Pinchot rather than Secretary
Rallinoer eninus The cnnfdanra Of tha