The daily telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1901-1926, 1909-02-16
QNLY BRIEF TARIFF
lcontmnesI fforn nage IN


fcontnned from page u
} elle eonmlstca IS partisan IS
IN riiy 81 Under
5ileInocFat sc weil Repubiicau
: me system q tarln fran-
ing and not HE indiziduai member
ri The Mass apa Means C.ornmiftse
or Is eoHtress that Il Siane
individually and coilectiveis. M
gross MiiI Re q Blanle sinles Il aboi.
lsi1es tne stem, ana gives us lie
one deh IS proposed hy the great
pnsi iess prgantzati ions OF the counts
we as che REPRESENTATIVE a the
cuisines men 81 the East ana west.
The North and South. are here today
Sc give practical voice to ttiis de-
iilasaieel And while here are likely to
sly ana do things which viii con-
strain CONGRESS 10 listen, and heed.
~ important operation would
any great business enterprise proceed
IN the slaphazard manner which COM
sress follows in revising the tarin.
And yet the United states government
e the biggest and wealthiest corpor-
alton In the world. The adjustment
Of the tafln Is an operation which.
directly or indirectly, AFFECTS the
prices Of almost every commodity
preducedtor imported By nearly 90.
100000 Of people. which determines
the Volume of domestic trade OF sso.-
ooo,ooo:oo0 annually and foreign
trade Of $4,000, 100000. and which
retards or promotes the welfare Of
every one of those 10000, 900 persons.
When q railway company plans to
build q new road or an extension OF
q road It employs engineers 10 mark
out a line, or a choice of lines, which
would be advisable to follow, to con-
slider the question of grading and
tunneling. and to compute the time
and the cost of construction, AS we
all know, the railroad company does
not refer this work TO the clerks in
its offices, or even to the heads Of
its passenger or freight departments.
II calls in. men who have made a
life study Of such work, and who are
competent to deal with 1t. Every
other great business corporation pro-
ceeds in similar way-all except
the United States government. What
this convention. asks is that, in the
big business operation which is just
ahead of IT, the United States govern
ment shall follow the example of the
rest Of the business enterprises. at
home and abroads
while reforms, improvements and
new departures are the order Of the
day in all other human activities.
Congress, in the important work of
framing a tariff, cllngs to the old
landmark. The rolling years teach it
nothing. In the preliminary work OF
putting the tariff bill into shape Mr..
Payne and his associates are making
no Visible change In the methods fol-
lowed by Mr.. Wilson in tho Demo-
cratic act OF 1894, or Mr.. Morrill,. in
the first Republican tariff measure,
that of 1861.
Here is the situation which con-
fronts the country, Congress is to
be called in special session few
weeks hence to revise the tariff. Tho
Republican National Convention
promised this. Before the election
and since. the Republican candidate
pledged himself to it. For us. there
fore, we want honest, sane tariff re-
vision-a tarifr adjusted to the ex-
listing trade conditions. abroad as
well as at home-the time TO act is
now.
The business men of the country
demand the Establishment OF a tarIf
commission composed of broad gauge,
impartial men. who are capable OF
handling great enterprises. We want
men who. in the interest of the Amer
lean people. can think and act in u
large way.
belorc go any farther let me
say that the commission could not
now do the work quick enough which
the extra session viii be called upon
to perform, in provisional way. Let
the extra session make the changes
in the duties which 1t believes to be
most urgently and most Immediately
needed. then pass commission bill.
and then go home. All this ought not
to take more than sixty days. Thus
the promise of the platform and the
candidate would be kept Thus also
the business disturbances would end
speedily. President Taft would then
have an early opportunity to appoint
the commission. The body could
make the investigation and collect the
facts on which Congress, in the reg
ular session year hence, or in a
subsequent session, could base the
tariff adjustment which the country's
business interests, the welfare of It's
workers and the prosperity of the en-
tire people demand.
Our object today is to take the
tariff out of partisan politics. and
keen II out In THE nurnOao NO fnaI