Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1909-04-15
LA TOILETTE WILL TRY
FOR COMMISSION
ON TARIFF
Wisconsin Senator Wants
Board of Experts to
Gather Data for
Congress.
TRIES TO DEFEAT
THE PRESENT BILL
He Wants Nine Men. Each an Ex-
pert In His Line. to Secure
Facts so That Bet
ter Bill Can be
Passed.

Washington, ID. c.. April 15.-The
defeat of the Payne-Aldrich tariff
bin and the creation of tariff COM
mission. is what Senator Robert NJ
LaFollette will try to bring about.
The entire impossibility of having
any rational adjustment of the tariff
by the methods which are now be-
ing employed is being clearly demon
strated, said senator LaFoHette.
business is held up while this tar
III bill is talked about. and the lead
ers urge that no ~one interpose any
thing which may appear like dill
atory action lest business be unnec-
essarily halted Yet there is not
time for any member of either branch
of Congress to find out actually what
this tariff bill contains. Much less
is there time To find out the prin-
ciples in accordance with which the
tariff rates are or ought to be ad-
1usted.
"The whole scheme is wrong. And
there is every indication that Con-
gress is not acting in good faith. 1t
would be easy, for example, to OBJ
viate this unsettlement of business by
providing that the new tariff law
would not take effect fbf twelve
months after it's passage. This would
give the business of the country am
pie time to adjust itself to the new
conditions
But the authors of the bill are
using every effort tn cram the meas
ure down the peoples throats. and
the less they know about it the bet
ter It would seem the authors of the
bill will be pleased"
AS a substitute for the Aldrlch-
Jayne bill, Senator I.aFollette will
offer. at the proper time, bill TO
create commission of nine tariff
experts to be appointed by the pres
ident, subject to the approval OF the
Senate. The terms of this commits
sion would be from three to eleven
years from the date of their APP
pointment and their successors would
be appointed each for a term Of ten
years.
No senators or representatives
would be eligible for appointment.
No two commissioners could be resi-
dents of the same judicial circuit.
Not more than five could be members
of the same political party. one
would be required to have "A prac-
tical knowledge Of the manufacturing
industry. one of agriculture; one of
import business; one would be rep
resentative of labor; one special
tariff lawyer; one student Of domes-
tic and foreign tariffs and CONNER
cial reciprocity; one an expert on
cost of production and accounting;
one a trained statistlcian; and one an
eminent economist, who has made
special study of wages ana cost "t
living. Commissioners would draw
salaries at the rate of $4,000
year.
The tariff commission provided for
by the LaFollette bill would bc chars
ed with the duty Of revising turH
schedules in accordance with the
principles set out in the Republican
national platform.
The difference between the cost ,f
production at home and abroad is
the difference which ought 20 dy-
tcrmlne the tariff according to far
party declarations This difference
- llA'i'lN a. llaAA'l W l''' 60 W '.' 10 wv
be determined by inquiry rorrr"ss
is without these facts. To stcur" them
is no small task But it is task
which only a body uf experts could
possibly perform. I'm this fashion all
civilized nations solve the problem.
The LaFollette law would give power
TO this commission To make in
quiries, To summon manufacturers
and importers and to compel the pro-
duction of books ana papers II
would also have the power to make
inquiries abroad.
When the commission had de-
termined the difference in cost of
production at home and abroad and
had thus determined what would be
the proper tariff on any particular
manufactured product the commits
sion would be empowered to report
to the president who would have
power to Immediately put this tariff
into effect by proclamation.
The LaFollette commission would
be required to begin their inquiry
with the primary industries produc-
ing iron ore. coal, lumber and 9th
er raw material from the natural re-
sources OF the country, and to pro-
ceed in consecutive order as nearly
as practicable from the Industries