Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-09-03
TAFT AND ROOSEVELT.

Former President ROOSeVell ~ AA'
speech at Osawatomie yesterday cams
inf. IN favor Of an expert tariff com
mission. and for revising the tarlH III
the future one schedule at time, the
revision to be based upon recommeh'
dations Of the tariff commission. Pres.
ldent Taft a few days before, IN ms
letter to the congressional Campaign
text book, took the same position anu
added that he would recommend 70
4 congress the adoption of special rule
that bill to amend one schedule OF
the tariff may not be subject to mo-
ton to amend by adding other scnea-
ules. President Taft went further IN
advocacy of this plan by securing
provision for the appointment OF
tariff commission before the Payne
tariff law was enacted, and this com,
mission is now hard at work doing inc
very thing that Col. Roosevelt pc.
lieves should be done. .
Az an evidence that the president
and the ex-president are taking the
same position on this question, the VI
terances OF the two men are quoted.
President Taft in his campaign letter
said SKI
perhaps more important than any
one feature Of the operative part OF
the tariff law Is that section which en-
ables the executive to appoint tariff
commission or board to secure the
needed information for the proper
amendment and perfection OF the law
When the commission completes its
work, either on the entire tarlf or on
any part of the schedules in respect TO
which issue has arisen, and the WORK
Of the commission shows that the pres.
ent tariff is wrong and should be
changed, expect to bring the matter
to the attention Of congress with a
view to It's amendment of the tarif IN
that particular. OF course, this will be
impracticable, unless congress itself
shall adopt the parliamentary rule, as
/ hope 1t will, that a bill to amend one
schedule OF the tariff may not be sub
iect to motion to amend by adding
changes in other schedules.
ut will thus be possible to take up q
single schedule with respect to which
1t is probable that great majority OF
each house will be unprejudiced, to adj
nit the evidence and to reach fair
conclusion. And this method will tend
to avoid disturbing business candi-
tions.'
Former President Roosevelt in his
Osawatomie speech said:
.The duty of congress is to provide a
method by which the interest Of the
whole people shall be all that receives
consideration To this end there must
be an expert tariff commission, wholly
removed from the possibility Of politi-
cal pressure or Of improper business
influence. Such commission can find
out the real difference between cost OF
production, which is mainly the differ
ence Of labor cost here and abroad.
AS fast as its recommendations are
made, I believe in revising one sched-
ule at a time. A general revision of the
tariff almost invariably leads to log
rolling. and the subordination of the
general public interest to local and
special interests"
There is no reason why President
Taft should be denied recognition for
his work The greatest criticism
against the president has been for his
position on the tariff question. The pro-
gressives have taken no exceptions to
his position on any other question.
And it is hard to understand where
they find grounds for objecting to his
position on that question when he not
only favored, but fought for and Sc
cured the enactment of the very tariff
plan now favored by Col Roosevelt. It
Is the height of Inconsistency to criti-
else Taft when he stands for tariff
commission and praise Roosevelt
when he stands for the very same
thing. Taft made the tariff commission
q reality and should not be denied the
credit for the legislation he secured.