The Washington times., 1909-08-06
THE PASSAGE OF THE TARIFF
MEASURE.

MEASURE.
The PayneAldrich tariff bill is the
law Of the land today. The conference
reporC which presented the measure IN
the form in which it has become law
passed the House with twenty Re
publieans voting against it, and was
adopted by the Senate with seven Re
publicans in opposition. This record of
the votes, together with the earnest
and intelligent criticism to which the
bill was subjected by members OF the
dominant party in both houses, tells
most effectively of the widespread dis
affection and distrust which have been
entertained for the program dominated
first by Cannon in the House, then by
Aldrich in the Senate, and finally modi-
fed and improved by Taft in conference
President Taft's contribution TO the
final formulation of the bill had to do
mainly, so far as fundamentals were
concerned, with the inauguration of
long step toward free raw materials
Whether policy Of free raw materials
can ultimately be sustained in eonnee-
ton with such scheme of protective
duties on manufactured products. may
well be regarded as a large problem
both politically and economically. The
move in this direction came near to
driving away from the bill the loyal
Mountain State Senators. In the end
they contented themselves with enter
ing their protests and voting for the
bill.
Whether the bill shall prove good or
bad, a satisfaction or a disappointment
to the country, only the test of time
and events can tell. With good times,
with revived industry. with the wheels
humming, and the railroads once more
short of cars, with crops breaking
records in both abundance and value
with all these things following on the
heels Of the laws enactment, there viii
be disposition to forget the predictions
Of evil, the forebodings Of disaster and
revolt And all the signs of the times
indicate that business is going to con-
tinue better and better
The law does not enter on its career
popular. tt is decidedly unpopular.
There has never been d tariff bill that
was so thoroughly dissected, so gen
orally illuminod, as thus one has been.
The country knows more about tariff
than ever before.
And the country is p-ejudiced against
the new law because Of a firmly fixed
belief that this measure represents be
travail of the promises made by the
Republican party last year. The party
promised effective downward revision.
It promised revision in the interest of
the consumer. Throughout the cam
paign it most distinctly gave the people
e understand that this was to be a new
kind Of revision; revision throughout
which the concern o. the consumers
would be pTimary and Of the manufac-
turers secondary.
In the light OF all the discussions, and
especially of Senator Aldrichs cool
reputation Of the idea that downward
revision was ever promised. it must be
said that the law does not carry out
the party pledges. There are some
reductions. and there are some increases
But whether in the aggregate the re.
vision is upward OF downward is 50
close a question that Senator La Fol
lette proved an upwaod change on SC
good authority as the Bureau Of Sta
tistics. while the best that the Finance
Committee car claim is that there j:
q downward change OF an utterly in
significant degree.
The consumer, the great consuming
mass, has little to expect Of relief
from the higher cost of living from this
measure, Perhaps there will be pros
perity enough to III everybody's
pockets and obliterate the recollection
of promises unfulflled. It IS to be
hoped this will be the case But nc
juggle of figures can make the schedules
Of the new measure look ike a redemp-
ton Of the party's pledges.
II has been said before in these
columns that no tariff law is ever
Judged entirely on SIS merits as a tariff
law. It is judged in the light Of what