Highland recorder. (Monterey, Highland County, Va.) 1877-1972, 1909-07-03
FROM WASHINGTON

Now that the tariff bill Is III 1t
final stages it is interesting to ana
live the course of the Virginia del
egation in connection Herewith
To begin with, the attitude o
the majority of its members ha'
been misrepresented. Most nota
bly is this true of Senator Daniel
He has been represented as declar
ing in effect for high duties. 1h'
records show that he never so de
clared, and any one who will take
pains to write to Theodore Shuey
official stenographer of the Unlte(
States Senate, can ascertain tina
this speech, so far as such declara
ton is concerned, was delivered OF
the floor just as it appears IN thf
Record. Mr.. Shuey is himself {
| Virginian, q native of Augusta
County, and will certainly treat any
inquiry courteously.
On the lumber schedule the Vlr
ginians who voted for a duty OF
lumber were criticised. But did i
ever occur to the critics that the
duty imposed is less than was i'm
posed in the Walker tariff ITSELF
that ideal tariff law. from the Dem
ocratic standpoint. As q matter
of fact, the duty in the Walker tar
iff was twenty per cent, while tht
duty for which the Virginians are
for voting, amounted to only elev'
en- per cent. When did it BECOME
protectionism to vote for duty
less than the duties Of the Walker
/ tariff? Furthermore, the duty they
voted for was lower than the duty
in any Democratic tariff measure
yet passed by an American Con-
gress.
What is true of their votes on
lumber applies to their votes on
other items. All the criticisms that
have been made originated with
those who have never been the gen.
uine friends of tariff reform. Pro-
lection organs everywhere have
sought to make every vote for a
duty which has been cast by South
erners appear as being a breaking
away from low tariff principles
Let us beware of accepting the YER
diet tie protectionists would place
upon our Senators and Representa-
tives. Protection seems to make
them ridiculous by charging incon-
sistency.
The thing the Virginia delegation
has rightly stood for is uniformity
of taxation. We all realize fully
the evils of protection. But at the
same time there is one thing that
is worse even than protection, and
that is tariff levied to the advan-
tage of one section and the disad-
vantage of another. We ere all
sincerely for low tariff, but shall we
not, when it is manifestly impossi-
bic to secure such a tariff, ask for
the next best thing tariff that ap-
plies to all sections and industries
alike. Bad as is protection, its
evils multiply when tits administer
ed with discriminating hands. Are
we not then justified in insisting
that whatever the standard of tax
alton it shall not be high in one
section and low in another? Make
these selfish New EnglanderS I'M
derstand that there can be no free
trade or low tariff in the products
they buy until the same condition
prevails as to the things they sell,
and they will very soon agree to re-
duction.
The South has been getting a raw
deal. Suppose you were represen-
ted on the board of directors of a
corporation by q director who
thought a four per cent dividend
should be paid, while majority OF
the directors thought it should be
eight per cent. Suppose your di-
rector thought an eight per cent
dividend too high, and dangerously
so. Would that justify your direc-