New-York tribune., 1909-04-22
NOT FAR APART.

some OF the things said by Mr.. Daniel. OF
Virginia in his speech in the Senate last Mon-
day show how far many Democrats in congress
have drifted from the "hiStoric Democratic doc
trine" of tariff for revenue only. That doctrine
has been pretty generally preached by Demo
Gratis when the Democratic party has been OUT
Of no;ver. It has not been scrupulously honored
In practice when Democratic statesmen nave
been called on to pass a tariff law. Yet it has
been considered good Democratic theory, and is
still extolIed as the only true faith by Colonel
Watterson and other survivors of the hehtuckA
Missouri school. Senator Daniel has IrahhN
substituted another theory of tariff legislation
for the historic" one, and since he is the rank
ing Democrat on the Senate Finance Commlttee
his change of attitude must be accounted s1gnlh-
cant The Virginia Senator dissents entirely
from the programme outlined by Colonel waiter
son and those who insist with him that stralghI
revenue duties should be laid on the half dozen
or dozen articles of general use imported in the
largest quantities. without regard to whether
they are raw materials or manufactured prod
ucts and without regard to the effect on Ameri-
can labor and capital OF the changed conditions
in industry and commerce which would result.
Mr.. Daniel believes in such revolutionary
tariff legislation. He would change conditions
carefully and gradually. He said on Monday:
I would conserve and not destroy any Of the
plants and industries which raise by reasonable
taxation revenues which we need. II we 90 not
do this and are won away from it by the fasci-
nation of the word free" we Will find ourselves
in a uuandary Of deficits with interest-oearlnS
bond issues quick upon their heels. Our decla-
rations and the conditions alike require some
thing more than this. We have declared Tor d
gradual reduction of the protective tarlfts NO
more would be possible without a declaration.
and no more is possible with it When a great
and widespread system has been esta biished lot
years all over the country we cannot leap out OF
it by one spring or bound. If we go downstairs
at all we must go down one step at time as we
came up
That is the position taken by every sensible
revisionist be he Democrat or Republican Re-
vision such as the Republican party has prom
ised proceeds on the basis of gradual reduc-
tion of protection as the need for protection de-
creases. President Taft has advocated just such
a course as Mr.. Daniel advocates-revision Of
the tariff by its supporters, or at least by It's
friendly critics.
Mr. Daniel even goes so far as to favor such
duties as will give reasonable and permanent
protection TO American labor. He said:
We must respect labor The parties have
been both willing to add to the tariff the diff
ferences in cost in European countries, and
such a tariff would not Cypress the American
people, but conserve the interests of all,
On the main points at issue Mt. Daniel is
therefore in substantial agreement with the
President and with the Republican leaders in
Congress who are working for rational tariff re-
vision. Their programme involves moderate re
ducton all along the line. If this reduction re-
suits I'm an increase in customs revenues Suth-
cient TO meet the Treasury's needs, we'll and
good If it does not bring in enough revenue.
the difference can be made up by imposing extra
internal taxation. Adequate protection should
not be sacrificed for the sake of customs reve-
nue.. Nor should the present tariff rates which
in most schedules are more than sufficient for
purposes of protection, be raised in order to
bring in a little additional revenue. The Trib-
une has more than once said that the revision
Of 1909 would erase old fashioned sectional and
party lines. and would show that the majority
elements in both rarties now favor nationally
applied protection. a small section of the Repub-
lcan party still clinging to the stand pat fal-
lacy and a small section of the Democratic party
still protesting to favor tariff for revenue only.
That forecast has been fully realized, that
a Democratic leader like Mr.. Daniel, speaking
for many Democratic Senators and Representa-
tives, announces a substantial agreement with
the administration on the tariff question.