The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1909-07-31
THE TARIFF BILL.

The Payne-Aldrich tariff bin has been
agreed upon in committee. and the pres
ident is pledged to afix his signature
If the measure successfully runs the
gauntlet in both houses Of congress.
Hides have finally been put on the free
list, and the rates on boots and shoes
reduced. Otherwise, the average con-
sumer VIII derive no benefit from the
revision. An effort will be made by the
administration and the Republican lead
ers and press to make it appear that the
promises Of the Chicago platform have
been kept and a successful downward
revision accomplished. After his cleo
ton, Mr.. Taft made a speech at Cincin-
natl and gave utterance to the following
views:
Unless We act in accordance with our
promises, or if we only keep the word Of
promise 70 the ear and break it to the
hope. we shall be made accountable TO
the American people and suffer such
consequences as failure to keep faith has
always been visited. with. 1t would be
better to have no revision at all. unless
we are going honestly and fairly to revise
the tariff on the basis promised by our
party,
At that time Mr.. Taft, having in mind
the oft-broken promises of his party re-
garding the tariff. feared a repetition Of
the old tactics. That his fears were not
unfounded is amply proven by the work
of the majority i'm the present exraor-
binary session of congress. The word Of
promise has been kept to the ear and
broken to the hope, and it would have
been vastly better to have had no re-
vision at all for the tariff has not been
honestly and fairly revised. Some re-
cent sarcastic utterances Of the New
York World regarding the construction
Of the tariff bill will not be out of place
at this time:
When Senator Hale votes for a tariff
duty on print paper. in the manufacture
OF which his son is Interested. when Sen
atoT Scott votes for protection for glass
ware from his own factory; when Sena-
tor Elkins votes for protection for coal
from his own mines. when Senator Gug-
Eenheim votes FOR protection for lead pro-
duced by the GuggeEheim smelters: when
Representative FOrdney votes for protec-
ton for lumber from his own mills they
are not seeking an increase in prices for
the benefit OF themselves and their rela-
tives and partners. The tariff does not
affect prices. That is a stupid delusion
on the part Of the consumer. II he doubts
4 ne has Senator Hdle's solemn word for
II that the householder is paying moth
ing to a protective tariff that builds up
American industry 1t is the retailer who
Is the guilty wretch, the son of iniuuity.
who makes high prices and practices ex-
tortion upon the consumer.
Everybody's interests protected exc5-t
those Of the consumer, and yet they will
have the nerve to tell US that a sub
stantial downward revision has been ac-
complished, that everything is lovely
and the. goose hangs high" Whether
the Iowa farmer is as gulible as of
yore viii develop later. Speaking of
Iowa recalls to mind an interview with
Leslie NJ. Shaw, former secretary of the
interior, in which he declared: TT is
all nonsense to talk about a revision of
the tariff. 1t cannot be done. You
may as well understand that at the out
set. Republicans who are demanding
revision are demanding the impossible"
That was true in August, 1903, and is
true today. 1t is impossible for the Re
publicans to honestly revise the tariff.