The Washington herald., 1909-05-15
Who Is Going to Be Fooled? ?


The Senate-s action in voting a duty Of
25 per cent on iron ore is concurrent with
4 crop OF newspaper reports that Mr..
Aldrich has consented 10 a real revision
downward in response 20 the silent fa1u-
ence Of the President. and the rather
more voc.ferous protest Of public opinion.
voiced IN the independent Republican as
well as in the Democratic press. There
is an inconsistency here that is somewhat
disquietiHg to those hopeful OF better
things in tariff revision. but il Is in
geniousiy explained away by the assertion
that all VIII come out right when the
tariff bill IS thrown into conference. Then.
We are assured. the powerful influence
OF 3fr Taft viii be exerted for lower
rates. and It viii appear that the Senate
= has been voting duties upward for the
Amere purpose Of reducing them in con-
ference. This theory. also. fails 10 con-
form with current explanation Of Afr
Tafts inactivity with respect 10 the tariff.
which is that he purposes 20 allow Con
gress TO frame a tariff bill without inter
ference from the Executive. and that he
viii perform his constitutional duty when
the bin IS placed before him for sigma
ture.
Now somebody is going 10 be hum
bugged in this maze Of purposes and in
teTests. and We rather fLcIlne 10 the belief
that the victims wilj not be found among
the shrewd and tireless and resourcefuI
standpatters who are in charge Of tar4f
legislation II there is any intention on
the part Of Senate leaders 10 vote duties
up in order that they may be traded on
IN conference, we may be sure that the
bargain viii not be iopsi6ed- For every
reduction in duty thus conceded there
vii be substantial boost IN protective
dvties somewhere else. so that the net
result viii be satisfactory 10 the more
important interests affected 'by. the tariff.
Senator Culberson has had prepared an
impressive table Of increases carried
~ the Aldrich biH. showing that
items have been advanced in all
but three OF four schedules. and these
remain practically what they are in the
present law. To retain the bulk Of these
advances is evidently the purpose OF the
Finance Committee. Recent votes sbow
that the committee viii have its Own
way in the Senate. That it viii be able
20 retain most Of the higher duties in
conference is at least as reasonable a
probability as tha. it viii yield most OF
J them We may get free hides and free
1 iron ore and the remainder OF the slight
! reductions conceded by the committee as
the insurgents now expect. but the I'M
! portant schedules viii stand as pat as the
esolid earth where they have not been
revised upward To what other end are
the protected interests. so strongly in
trenched in both Houses. working? What
other result does the strong protectionist
sentiment in Congress portend? There
are not as many insurgent Republicans in
either House as there are protectionist
Democrats The sentiment Is overwhelm-
ingIy for a good stin protective tariff. and
We are going TO get it.
OF course, there viii be some revision
downward in IL Perhaps the CRY Of Ger
tain classes % manufacturers for free
raw materials viii be answered. But the
great protective schedules viii remain
substantially unchanged The door Of i'm
ports viii be closed wherever practicable
And over the whole will be cast the orni-
nous shadow OF the maximum tariff of .
/ per cent additional, which the President
acting as the agent Of Congress. TO quote
Senator Aldrich's expressive phrase. may
IN his wisdom remit Who IS acting as
the agent Of the consumer in this comedy
of enriching the country by tariff tax
stion?