The Detroit times., 1909-01-02
CONGRESS WILL BE
ON TAFT'S NECK
IN FIGHT
SANE sTANoPATTERs ARE PRES
EMIT TO HANDLE TARIFF REvis-
IoN-THEY DO NOT FEAR PUB
Lie OPINION SINCE ELECTION.
BY ALFRED HENRY LEWIS.

WASHINGTON. Jan. 2.-Tariff Is a
good topic wherewith to begin the
year. Tariff has this In common with
air or water that whether we will or
no It Is a comm0dity wherein every
last one OF us Is bound TO be interest
ed.
Those OF the ways and means who
are still in our midst. go
about with especial airs OF
wisdom and deep Importance.
They know. as was said above. that
the work they do. so far as II gains
final potentiality is calculated TO af-
feet us all. and IL tells on them IN AN
augmentation of dignity. making them
feel like a bevy of Aliases with the
world on their backs.
Confidentially and In private cor
ners and cubbyholes, the members OF
the inflated ways and means tell you
things. They do not do this for your
good any more than a turkey gobbler
spreads his tail and struts for your
good. They do II because they like
II. IL serves TO expand the chest and
stretch the muscles OF their greatness
What do these self-complacent tax
mongers tell one? They declare that
tariff revision-which the common
mind CONSTITUTES to mean tariff reduc-
tion-is certain. Getting down 10
tacks. they say that II has been set
tied among the Republican members
who are the real billmakers, the
Democrats. led by the Hon. Champ
Clark. being no more than just look
ers-on In the Vienna OF tariff-to free
list wood pulp. coal. wool. hides. shoes
and lumber; that for q time steel was
slated for the free list. but In the end
compromise was deemed the thing
and the steel schedule was dropped
from a protective As points to %.
IS Per Cent Notch.
They call attention to the fact that
speaking Of revision-whereas the
Dingley law arranged an average tar
III OF 4? per cent, the Payne measure.
in present constructive hand, will
notch the tariff average down to 20
per cent.
Our cubby-corner Aliases OF ways
and means call proud attention OF
their wonderful bill. This means an
open gap OF about 20 per cent. in
which the schedules may be showed
up or down in the instance OF any par
ticular nation. Germany. for example.
IL the nation favors US with her tariff
We will pull the underpinning from
beneath our own TO match her for
bearing generosity. Should the other
fellow take a selfish view and put up
his tariff. We for our side give the
tariff iackscrew an extra twist or two
on the old mosaic principle OF an eye
for an eye and tooth for a tooth.
This game OF up-or-down In tariff
IS of the same bolt OF cloth as that
other old tariff game Of reciprocity.
played 20 years ago. Reciprocity was
good to look upon In the abstract, but
in practice proved to be a whited
sepulchre full of all sorts of protect
ed corruption and tariff decay. / much
fear me that the minimum
OF the coming measure, should 1t ever
be adopted, will turn out OF the same.
Further discussing their bill. our
turkey gobblers OF the ways and
means, tailspreading and strutting as
aforesaid, confess--this not without
fear and a tentative manner OF reluct-
ance-that they have It In mind to
put a tax OF Ave cents pound on
coffee, ten cents on tea, and ask you
what you think yourself.
I, speaking my own mind freely,
told them that II was more likely to
raise a howl than make q hit.
They were inclined TO admit the
propriety of that apprehension. but
explained that they couldn't help II.
The country was spending more than
n took I'm. We were making financial
sternway at the rate OF s10,0o0.000 a
month. The expense bills OF govern
ment, already mounting above a round