The Washington herald., 1909-04-05

Alexander J. Dallas. Secretary Of the
Treasury under Madison. was the virtual
author of the tariff OF 1916. II had been
the custom for the Secretary OF the Treas
Ury 10 be called on for a report showing
the needs Of the Treasury and the direc-
ton a change in the tariff should take.
Hamilton had produced his report on
manufactures and Albert Gallatin had
done likewise. taking the opposite view
in the main. Dallas was born in the
British island OF Jamaica, and took oath
of allegiance in 17S2. II was on his sug-
gestion that the Second National Bank
was incorpora ted in 1916, and his services
as Secretary Of the Treasury during the
financially perilous times following our
second war with England have always
been regarded as Of a high order.
Il is rather hard TO assign the author
ship OF the tariff Of 1924. II was reported
by the Committee on Manufactures, Of
which Mr.. Todd. Of Pennsylvania. was
chairman. though the measure was framed
by the committee acting as whole. Mr..
Todd steered II through the House.
Silas Wright wrote the report on the
bill, which was afterward distorted into
the tariff OF denominations Chairman NAL
lOry. OF the Committee on Manufactures.
managed the bill in the House. but the
probabilities are that the credit for draft
ing the measure is largely due to Silas
Wright Wright was political power In
his day. and as a member OF the United
States Senate he made himself one Of the
leaders OF the national Democracy.
John Quincy Adams was the author Of
the bill which furnishes the basis of the
tariff OF 1892, and as such was the only
ex-President who ever drafted tariff
law. Madison, Fillmore. and Mckinley
became President after their bills be-
came laws. but Adams was President be-
fore. He had to contend with a situa-
tion the ike OF which has rarely been
seen The prOtecuonists were in the ma
jOrity but were divided among them
selves. The advocates of the iron sched-
ule did not care what happened 10 wool
ems, and the friends OF the woolens
schedule were not concerned as TO the
fate OF iron. But Adams seized the war
ring factions and figuratively repeated
that celebrated admonition: I'VE must
all hang together or we will have 10
hang separately" For once he secured
unity Of action and prOtectionists were
not hanged separately
The feat Of Henry Clay in effecting
his famous tariff compromise Of 1893
stands out as one Of the most remarkable
political maneuvers OF all tariff history.
He saw that protection was doomed. and
he promptly set about TO insure is main
tenance as long as possible. He fore
saw that defeat was the portion which
would befall the doctrine. and he sought
10 get the best terms the enemy would
give. He wanted the change 10 be a
gradual one, and thought nine years time
enough in which the manufacturers
should be asked 10 change from a high
tariff to a low tariff basis. One Of the
favorite statements about his attitude
was that he never expected that the low
tariff, which his compromise provided
should 20 into effect in 1872. should be-
come operative; that he expected a new
high tariff law 10 be passed before that
time. But such a statement does not
seem TO do justice to the candor Of the
man. Making the oil OF protection to
mix with the water OF free trade was a
difficult feat. but one which Clay was
able TO accomplish. As a compromiser.
Henry Clay stands out in first place
among the statesmen Of the country. his
compromise on the slavery question in
1880 being no less remarkable than his
tariff compromise OF 1S33-
Miiiard Fillmore, afterward President,
wrote the tariff OF 1872 That year there
were two bills reported TO the House. one
from the Committee on Manufactures
by Mr.. Saltonstall. OF Massachusetts,. and
the other by Mr.. Fillmore, from the Ways
and Means Committee. The Fillmore bill
got the right OF way, although salton-
stall made hard fight to have his meas