Los Angeles herald., 1909-04-04
AMERICAN TARIFF LAWS
W. The Tariff of Abon7fnafi0ns
BY FREDERIC u HASKIN

Of the act of 1923 was reported to the
house on the last day of January.
Though 1t was drawn by free traoeIs,
and the report made thereon nlaue W
free traders, there was not q wore
hostile to protection In 1t. Imagine
John Sharp Williams, Champ Clark
and Bourke Cochran bringing In q Dill
and a report with protection written IN
every. clause: Yet that was exactiy
what happened In the twentieth con-
gress, only the names were difrerent.
The protectionists understood the hol-
low pretenses of the bill, and one or
them said right out in meeting that IL
the committee had sought to frame the
worst bill possible. 1t could not have
brought In one that served their aims
more fully. The newspapers or the
country refused to approve the meas
ure. When 1t came up for consiuera-
tion of all the states south OF the
Maryland line 1t got only the votes OF
three members from Virginia and tho2
of Kentucky. 1t finally passed
house by q vote of 100 to "a.
After passing the house the measure
was taken In hand by the senate,
which proceeded promptly to out
Herod of the house. After serving as a
political football In the senate for some
weeks the measure was finally passed
The house concurred in the amend
act was signed on May 10. The APP
proval of Mr. Adams was not given
because he liked the measure, but up
to his time no president had ever
vetoed an act of congress except on
constitutional grounds, Andrew jack
son was the first president who ever
vetoed a measure on the grounds OF
expediency
When the news of the passage of the
a. Of wv q
many of the ships in port lowered their
flags to half mast, in token of what
they believed to be the death blow to
American shipping. In Charleston, 5.
c., the same course was pursued.
Here it was the British vessels which
took the initiative; Many OF tne
American vessels, thinking that the
lowering of the British flags was due
to some bad news from home, followed
suit out of respect to the Britons.
The act of 1928 was passed only after
the most strenuous campaign OF edu-
cation that had yet been seen In
America. Hezekiah Niles was early In
the field with his Register, published IN
Baltimore. He established such wide
reputation for candor and fairness. and
proved himself such an unselfish de-
voice of the truth first and protection
afterward that his Register gathered
to itself q greater influence In direct
ing the currents of public thought
than any other single agency in the
country. He printed both sides. And
he did not resort to the doubtful ex-
pediency of printing the weakest
speeches in favor of free trade and the
strongest in favor of protection. He
selected the strong speeches for the
former as faithfully as the latter, and
both sides on the tariff issue read the
Register.
This tariff led to intense opposition
to protection in the south. 1t also
showed the high water mark of pro-
lection from the beginning of the gov
eminent down to the Civil war. But
although it was high tariff 1t brought
in revenue enough to support the gov
eminent. Further than that, 1t laid
the foundations for notification and
the troubles that were to come there
after.
Copyright, 1909, by Frederick J. Haskin,
Ton,orrow--American Tariff Laws.
yH-Act of 1882 and Notification.