New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1909-05-07
ATTACKS ON TIE SENATE BILL.

The protests made by Republican Senator'S
against the passage of the Senate FINANCE
Committees tariff bill in its present form
should be needed by the Republican leaders III
the Senate. Those attacks do not represent
mere individual or sectional DISSATISFACTION
with items or schedules in the Aldrich measure
They reflect the widespread popular opinion
that the Senate bill, so far as the rates levied
on imports are concerned, is in no material
sense an improvement on the Dingley law and
does not make good the promises of the Re
publican national platform The Republcan
platform of 1908 promised a revision which
would mean sOmething-not mere rewriting
Of the Dingley schedules, duties being lowered
a shade here and advanced a shade there, the
net result being the re-enactment OF law
which has stood on the statute book for twelve
years and was drawn TO fit conditions in trade
and industry which have radically changed in
the interval Twelve years is long life for
a tariff law Most of our tariffs have been in
effect for shorter periods; and it must be re
membered that the progress of the United
States in domestic industry and foreign trade
has been greater in the last twelve years than
In any twenty years in our earlier history.
It argues a curious misunderstanding of the
enormous strides made since 1897 to insist as
the trainers of the Finance Committees bill DO
that nothing but delicate reshading OF ex-
listing tHrlH rates IS HOW u66ue1i II lIdL -
all the situation demands, the business Of the
country has been agitated for nothing and the
growth of the last twelve years has been i'm
material and meaningless The country is I'M
prepared to accept such logic, and Senators like
MI Dolliver, Mr.. Cummins and Mr.. Nelson
voice only the general amaZement of the pubic
at discovering that, in the opinion Of the
trainers of the Senate bill, are no further
on industrially than we were in 1897, although
rr,1 +tao
value of domestic manufactures has increased
over 30 per cent
AS The Tribune has said before, the logic OF
the situation demands revision which can be
recognized as such. The country expects to
see real changes made in rates and the very
liberal protection given in the Dingley law
generally reduced. The House bill made good
start in the right direction, for il contained
many changes pointing TO new development
of the protection principle to meet new condl-
tons. The Senate bill is a disappointment in
that it has gone back to the groundwork of the
Dfngley law and has balanced some slight re-
ducfions in rates with compromising increases
Opinions differ as to the number Of increases
and decreases Mr.. Aldrich says that 3I9 re-
auctions have been made. Mr.. Culberson says
that only $50 reductions have been made, and
that these are counterbalanced by 316 increases,
leaving the Dingley rates on 1,211 Items I'M
changed. But the point or greatest importance
is that the changes either up or down in the
Senate bill are very slight. The Aldrich bill
is the Dngley law over again. Mr.. Aldrch
himself has said that if the Senate bill had
been In force in the fiscal year 1906'07 it
would have produced SS.0O0,O0O more revenue
than the Dingley law did-an increase Of So
100000 being due to heavier duties on wines
and liquors and an increase Of S5,00O,000 being
due to stricter provisions to prevent undervalu-
atoms. The practical identity of the Senate bill
and the Dingley law is thus conceded.
The Tribune feels that public opinion will
not be satisfied with mere nominal revision.
1t expects the Republican party to fulfil its
promises and TO show capacity and courage
enough TO modernze the tariff schedules. These
schedules should be made as simple as possible,
complicated compound duties should be elm
mated wherever possible, and the public should
be enlightened as to the differential Of cost Of
production here and abroad on which protec-
ton is allotted. The best way to perpetuate the
protective system is to make it Ineligible and
rational. The people must see that it subserves
national instead of personal and local interests.