New-York tribune., 1909-06-09
rEE RIGHT SORT OF TARIFF LAW.


In his speech TO the Chicago Commercial
Club Secretary MacVeagh outlined with pre-
cfsion and felicity what take TO be the
tariff revision policy of the great mass
of the Republican voters Those voters thor
ughly approved the declarations of the Repub-
Iican national platform of 1905 interpreted
without challenge from any quarter by the
Republican candidate for President. The plat
form pledged the party to undertake a revision
of tie Dingley law for the purpose of eiminat-
ing inequalities and restoring the balance be-
tween protective duties and the actual need of
protection. which has been upset by the enOr-
nous changes in commercial and industrial con-
ditionS during the last twelve years. 1t Iaid
down the clear and orthodox protectioniSt rule
that the protection given 10 the domestic pro
ducer should Offset the dfferential in cost of
production here and abroad and allow rea-
sonable profit to capital 1t did not commit the
party TO radical or revolutionary changes such
as Democratic platforms have often urged.
Ii reaffirmed the protective principle and stipu-
lated only that it should be applied in spirit
of breadth and berality setting the interests of
the country as a whole above the local interests
of particular states or sections
Mr. MacVeagh put the case in a nutshell
when he remarked that while it is talking
against the wind to argue that the revision eX-
''pected is not & revision down, it would be
equally iutllS 10 say lDdb iiIe ItNlSloA dpNNA
was promised to be revision down and out.
The country has expected and still expects
revision downward mainly because it considers
that in the Dingley Law the high water mark Of
needed protection was reached. Under that law
the industries Of the United States have eX-
banded and become firmly established Many
of them have reached the stage at which they
can hold their own against competition without
painful effort. They are in a position to sur
render an outgrown margin of protection. ana
were It possible TO demonstrate with scientific
accuracy Just how great the surplus protection
on any given product is. there would be no
shadow of excuse for not lowering duties to tit
the necessities of the case; for all sound pro
tectionists must agree that it is a dangerous
misuse of the system to levy excessive duties and
thus justify the charges of the enemies Of pro-
lection that individuals are being favored with
out economic reason or ultimate advantage 10
the nations industries and commerce.
The differences between the trainers of the
House bill and the trainers of the Senate bill
are not differences over principle. but differences
over disputed statements of facts. No Repub-
licans in Congress or out of ii are contendinS
for revision down and out. We have felt that
the House bill Is more in harmony with the
trend of our industrial development than the
Senate bill and reflects more satisfactorily the
views and wishes of the great mass Of the Re
publican voters. Ii is moderate and reason
able revision downward-a step in advance n
the application of the protective theory 10 in
dustrial conditions here. 1t is more in accord
with the best Republican teaching; for the
Senate in its extreme conservatism has prac-
tically ignored the growth of the last twelve
years and wants to treat our industrial diSabili-
ties as permanent and irremOvable. instead OF
viewing them temporary and capable of dis
appearing as differences in the cost of prOduc-
ton here and abroad are gradually minimiZed.
Mr.. MacVeagh properly says that the only
way TO make the tariff law acceptable and
to take the tariff issue out of politics for an
other decade is to convince the voters that the
new measure fully recognizes the necessity of
changing rates to meet changing conditions and
opens the way for further scientific. nOnSec-
ti0nal and nOn-partsan treatment Of what ought
TO be considered a purely economic problem. If
the Republican party by new tariff legislation
can create such popular belief, its position will
be enormously strengthened 1t is the only
party capable Of settling the tariff question; for
the country realizes now more than ever that
the Democratic opposition is not TO be trusted
with so serious a political task. The great mass
of the people expect n reasonable law. much
nearer the lines Of the House bill than the lines
Of the Senate bill. It will be the duty OF the
leaders in Congress to satisfy that just Pxpecta
ton.