Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-02
Congress and the Tariff.

In Baltimore Tuesday, at a meeting
of the American Association for the Ad-
| vancement of Science. a DR.. Orion OF
| New York participated in what is de-
scribed as tariff symposium" and
| with other things said:
IF we had high and honest standard
of public morals in Congress, 1t would
be much easier to get an honest tariff
| and the consumer would not be plundered,
as he is now. l venture to say that the
publicly established moral code in Con-
gress is lower than in most city councils.
In Washington 1t Is common gossip that
out of nineteen members OF the ways and
means committee, which will frame new
tariff, various ones are pecuniarily inter-
ested in this or that schedule.
Warming to his theme, the speaker re-
ferred by name to Representative Ford
ney of Michigan, and closed by declaring
$50 far as moral quality is concerned.
Senator BurtOn'S act in representing pri-
vate interests before one of the govern
ment departments, for which he was sent
to prison, was mild and harmless as COM
pared with the acts which are openly
committed by members of Congress in
tariff legislation
When asked last right for reply, Mr.
Fordney said:
d
tons attack. He is unfair, to say the
least. AS a general proposition. 1 would
DE inclined to brand as downright dis
honest one who judged his neighbor in a
given case, knowing not the intentions or
purposes of his neighbor. DIR. Orion has
no knowledge as to my attitude toward
the special schedules of the tariff which
he discusses.
1T probably is true that members of
the committee are interested directly or
iy,df f1x-i In, frtn bot at tod 1Nxr
the tariff. But ! do not believe that such
interest influences their judgment 1t is
easy to stand off and talk about the low
moral complexion of Congress"
1t would be difficult, If not impossible,
to find member of either house of Con-
gress unrelated through some sort of
interest to the tariff. The schedules
touch at all points. If the member is
in business of any, kind, the tariff in one
way or another affects it. Ii he is a
lawyer, he Is charged with the duty of
watching the business interests of his
constituents as affected by legislation.
If he is neither in business nor a member
OF profession, he is certainly a con-
sumner, and in that way related to tariff
revision. All roads lead to the tariff.
\ man neither manufacturer, nor han
der OF manufactures, nor representative
IN any way OF a thrifty constituency, nor
consumer, would never reach Congress
His closest connection with the tariff
would be as a wiseacre discussing it with
fellow-paupers at a county poorhouse.
The tariff will be revised in the only
way possible under our form of govern
mcnt, and just as it has heretofore been
revised. The duty devolves upon Con-
gress, and every Congress represents the
present Congress below the moral level
of the times? Will the next one be?
The answers are easy. AS a people we
are not on the down grade. On this
tariff question we are operating a
line which the voters have repeatedly In
dorsed. Protection is as old as the gov
eminent itself. 1t has always had it's
opponents, and sometimes they have
gained an advantage. But they could
never hold it long. The country would
return to the American policy. Its latest
return was twelve years ago, and the
| latest deliverance on the subject was at
! last months elections.
DIR. Orion is one OF those individuals
BILE to draw a sweeping indictment of
| Congress on the strength of common
gossip. The value of gossip depends
| upon its source. Some gossip is so COM
mon ii does not influence fair-minded
men DESTROYS of reaching just conclu-
sions. They prefer facts, and TO believe
| in the integrity of the people and their
/ representatives.