Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1909-08-12
The new TARIFF Law
A REGULAR REPUBLICAN TALKS
ON BILL and Votes FOR 1T.
COngre SSman Martin OF South Dakota
Hits New Law Some Hard RapS
While Voting for 1t as a Party
Man. He Dreams of "SCientifiC
Tariff" In the Future.

A speech delivered by Representa-
tive E. w. Martin, of South Dakota.
on the tariff conference report shows
how a well-meaning man can be BIZ
ased by the evil spirit of party to
do what his judgment and conscience
condemn. Though constrained by
party considerations to vote for the
tariff bill as an Administration mca-
sure. he gave ample reason why he
should have voted against it. In
the outstart he spoke of "weaning
the infant industry as process
'requiring courage and statesman
ship OF high ORDER and, strange
ly enough. he found these qualities
in Chairman Payne, whom he de-
scribed as the real hero pf this
tariff revision.' Not to President
/ Taft nor to Chairman Aldrich nor
to Speaker Cannon, but to Payne, be-
/ long all the honors of this tariff leg
slation. 1t was Payne who who held
"a firm hand between the free trad
ers and high Protectionists, deter
mined to keep faithfully to party but
not destroy any legitimate Ameri-
can industry
After this eXOrdium the South Da-
kOta member proceeded to show SER
latin how little his hero deserves
the encomium bestowed upon him.
First, he attacked the lumber du-
ties, declaring that lumber and all
other forest products should be on
the free list What Chairman
Payne did to keep lumber off the free
list need not be repeated. Mr.. Mar
tins next assault was upon the max
imum and minimum, declaring that
il he thought congress would be
powerless to change the form of this
provision for series of years ''he
would hesitate long" before voting
for the report. Yes, he would hesi-
tate; but as a good party man he
would swallow it after a few wry
faces. with all the rest of the bill.
But the worst thing in the bill,
Der is the cotton cloth schedule. He
says that has made a Thorough in
vestigation" of this article, reduc-
ing every item to its equivalent ad
valorem. and that his figures have
been revised and certified by the
treasury department.. The result,
he finds is an upward revision 'by
indirection, when the temper of the
country would scarcely assent of such
legislation directly an din the open"
Scarcely! 1t is such instances of
greed" he says, that bring confu-
sion to the principle of protection in
the home of its friends" Yet he
passed over in silence far more
infamous thing in the schedule of
wool and woolens. He had not one
word to say of the crafty piece of
indirection in the metal schedule,
which increases the duty of $40
ton on structural steel to the prohi-
bit rate of SIG ton. Compared
with the maintenance of the wool
schedule and with this duty on build
ing materials of steel, the cotton
schedule is a comparatively mild eX-
ample of tariff iniquity.
The South Dakota member peror-
ates with the expression of belief
that it is possible to realize the
dreams of scientific tariff that
snail present the difference in cost
of production at home and abroad"
Possible: but not probable so long as
such trimmers as he, facing both
ways, shall constitute a preponderat-
ing element in the congress of the
United States. The English, after
a long experience of a scientific tar
if, Indignantly swept it away, and
now they are the foremost of COM
mercial nations. Spain, the ideal
land of protection, has maintained
the system until her commerce and
industries have sunk 20 the lowest
stage. Holland and Belgium, on the
other hand, under their free trade
policy are by far the most prosper
Gus industrial nations of Continent
al Europe, small as are their terri
tories. The vast resources Of the
United States and the energies of
! the American people have thus far
mtigated the worst effects Of the per-
nicious system of which this Taft
Aldrich- Payne bill is the latest and
worst edition.