Evening star., 1909-05-01
TARIFF CREED OF MCUMBER
NO PROTECTION ON EXHAUST
IBLE RESOURCES.
On All Products Utilizable Again and
Again, Heavy Duty to Main
tain Higher Wage of Labor.

mo resources of the country which
when once utilized cannot be reproduced
and which are certain of exhaustion in a
comparatively few years. should he pro-
tected against Importation declared Sen
ator McCumlser of North Dakota mem
ber of the committee on finance, in ad-
dressing the Senate upon the tariff yester-
day.
mo tariff he added, ''should be lev
led upon iron, coal. oil or timber.
Under my theory. the production of
every article that comes from the mill
directly or indirectly. and can be pro-
duced again and again. ought to be under
sufficient protection Every article OF
manufacture should be amply protected.
We pay at least double the amount OF
wages to labor that is paid in other
countries. In order to maintain the
higher price for labor it is necessary to
maintain the higher price of the prod
ucts'
Mr. McCumber said that from the
standpoint of revenue no more inoppor-
tune time could have been selected to re-
wise the tariff. Tariff revision this year
he said, is universally understood to mean
revision downward.
responding to the public demand for re-
vision downward, is also charged with
three important duties included within
that demand:
First. to maintain the principle Of pro-
lection.
Second. to lower the schedules so far
as they can be lowered consistent with
ample protection.
Third, to SO levy them as to secure an
income which. in connection with the
14l 80
cover reasonable expenses of the gov
ernment economically administered"
Lumber's Increase in Value.
Mr.. McCumber said with the exceptions
Of the four products he had referred to
he was as strong an advocate of Amer
lean protection as any senator. He de-
clared that no commodity had increased
in value at such rapid pace as lumber
He said he knew of no business in the
whole United States that has produced
more millionaires for the amount of capi-
tai invested than has the lumber busi-
ness during the past ten years. Referring
to the threatened exhaustion Of the TIM
ber supply, Mr.. McCumber claimed that
free lumber would tend to conserve the
forests of the United States.
Tariff is not needed for protection of
the lumber industry" he continued.
'TheSe lumber companies which are seek
ing tariff on lumber are not seeking
it for the purpose of protection, but to
secure exorbitant prices through COM
bination."
Uncle Sans Competition.
The United States. he said, not only
completes with Canada in the lumber in
dustry of our own country, but competes
with her abroad; SO that our total ex-
ports of forest products amount to $1o6-
OOO.OOO
IF we want to be perfectly honest
he added. Il will agree with these lumber
tariff people that you may double your
tariffs upon your rough lumber If you
will cut down one-half even on the fin
ished product.
The great agricultural organizations of
the country. representing nearly one-h half
of the population of the United States.
believe in protection today just as much
they ever did. They stand ready to
protect every manufacturer of a product
which once used can be remanufactured.
They do not stand for a policy that
means hundreds of millions of dollars
expended to refCrest. while there is
exacted from them hundreds of millions
of dollars that the decreasing may go on
with greater rapidity.'