The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-03-20
AMERICAN TARIFF LAI

V-- The Tariff of Abomirations
By Frederic J. Haskin.

E8al0 0Mu uaD ai4hIG kiI0 IM0 0alU Ul0al IN VII
 In all the history of the world there has never been such stupendous eff fort to laugh anything out of the court of public opinion as the effort made in 1928 to discredit protection as a governmental policy. With mock de- votion to 1t. many free traders made speeches in its behalf that were as able presentations of the case of pro- tection-as its most sincere opponents had ever offered. The free traders be- came as lavish in handing dut pro- lection arguments as the most ardent protectionists themselves. Duties were piled on with unrestricted hand; duties so high. so absurd, so uncalled-for. that they served to give the measure clear title to its popular name-the Tariff of Abominations. When 1t came through the legislative mill a more grotesque grist was never seen IL seemed that the laughing -it-out-of court program was going to succeed.
 Although an edifice of such horrld and shocking design and proportions, 1t served all the main purposes for which a proper structure Is built. The un- expected success that attended the working of the measure after 1t be- came law turned the tables on the framers. and the protection that had been made sport of had the last and best laugh.
 There were two dominant notes in the tariff Legislation of 1928. The first was the effort to make 1t ridicu- lous; the other, the effort to make It a sort of political ootball in the Presi- dential field. The tariff had hitherto not been a strict party question: but more of a sectional issue. Now some observers began to see a Presidency in it. The effort to make President | out of it cropped out in the House pro- ceedings on the famous woolens bill of 1927. A strong effort was made to unite all the forces of free trade against Adams and in favor of Jack son. and at the same time to capture enough protectionists to insure the | election of Jackson. It was neces- sary to strike New England by refus- ing its manufacturers relief, without seeming to reject protection by a di- rect repudiatioh. Led by James Buch- anan, the effort to make political capi- tai out of the woolens Dill In the House was entirely successful.
 Politics was played In the Senate with equal success. Martin Van Buren could have cast the vote that would have insured the passage of sne woolens bill, but he remained silent and thereby forced Vice-President Cal houn to vote. So as to place on MT. Calhoun's shoulders whatever odium might attach to the defeat of the bill. The Woolens bill was defeated, but both sides prepared for the struggle of the next Congress. When the Twen- tieth Congress organized, 1t was found that free trade was again In the sad dle Andrew Stevenson. a Virginia free trader, was elected Speaker, though the protec ctionists declared that his election was accomplished by prom ises of concessions to them. The or ganization of the House was triumph for the Jacksan party.
 The bill which was to be the basis of the act of 1928. was reported to the House on the last day of January. I Though it was drawn by free traders, and the report thereon made by free traders, there was not word hostile Co protection in 1t. Imagine John sharp Williams, Champ Clark and report with protection written in every clause Yet that was exactly what happened in the Twentieth Con- gress, only the names were different. l. The protectionists understood the hol- low pretenses of the bill. and one of them said right out in meeting that If the committee had sought to frame the worst bill possible. it could not have brought in one that served their aims more fully. The newspapers of the country refused to approve the measure. When 1t came up for con- sideration. of all the States south of the Maryland line, 1t got only the , votes of three members from Virginia and those of Kentucky. It finally passed the House by a vote of l05 to 94.
 After passing the House the meas ure was taken in hand by the Senate, which proceeded promptly to ut-Herod E.erod. After serving as a political football In the Senate for some weeks, the measure was finally passed The House concurred in the amendments made by the Senate. and the act was l signed on May 19 The approval of MT. Adams was not given because he liked the measute, but up to his time no President had ever vetoed an act of Congress except on constitutional grounds. Andrew Jackson was the first President who ever vetoed a , measure on the grounds of eXpedi- ency.
 The opposing sentiments in the en- actment of the Tarlrf of Abominations Is illustrated by the debate on the ap- proval of the title. MT. Wilde of Geor- gia wanted to add. in order to show what the measure was for. the words, and for the encouragement of certain 3 manufact cures. "' John Randolph of Virginia opposed that amendment, say ing that the bill referred to no manu- factures of any sort, except the manu- facture of a President of the United States. Others sought to write in tho title that 1t was intended ito increase the profits of certain manufactures" f to transfer the manufacturing capi- 9 tai of New England to others States" and many other such propositions. Of ! . course, none of them was accepted . When the news of the passage of the act of 1928 was received In New l York. many of the ships in port low