The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-05-13
TAFT ON TARIFF BOARD.

! 1t is a favorable sign of the times
to see that President Taft has, himself,
so far come into the insurgent camp
as to ask for an appropriation of SOU
600 10 enable the new Tariff Board to
ascertain the cost of production in this
country and abroad, especially as re-
CARDS the labor wages, thus laying the
! foundation for another tariff revision
based on accurate and trustworthy IN
| formation. 1t Will be remembered that
the stand-pattcrs liz Congress sent
forth n denial that any Tariff Board
like this had been created by the new
tariff law. President Taft asserted that
II had been created, and he proceeded
70 organize the Board with this specific
duty imposed upon it. 1T was said at
the time apparently from the ''stand
patters," that they never would make
an appropriation to this Board for the
purpose indicated. The President in.
sited upon 1T. And now the clash has
come. President Taft makes specific
request for this money and the "stand-
patters will oppose it, as reported.
In this demand President Taft is sure
TO be supported by the Democrats and
the insurgent Republicans. That is
precisely what these have asked all the
time, that the tariff enacted should
be based on real information, and
drawn in the public interest, not
framed simply in the interest of cor
porations aud combines. 4 new tariff
law was enacted in complete ignor-
ance of practical conditions of prices
and of the relations between produc.
tion, abor, and wages. In fact, every
attempt 10 introduce accurate infor
nation into the discussion or TO apply
it to the bill was hotly resented. 4
conspicuous case will be easily re-
called.
The Secretary of State at the re
quest of President Taft-who appears
revision right along when left to him
self-applied to the German Govern.
ment for statement of wages paid TO
laborers in Germany In different IN
dustrial lines. That information was
courteously furnished and was sent to
the Senate, which was then acting on
the tariff bill. SO far from receiving
this informal tion kindly, the leaders of
the Senate angrily resented 1T. and some
of them went 10 the extent Of heap
ing insults on the German Government
for undertaking to Interfere with
the framing of our tariff" This after
our own Government had made specific
request for this information. 1t will
be further recalled that the Senate
Finance Committee, which had the tar
iff bill in charge, and Of which Mr..
Aldrieh is Chairman, never allowed
the information received from the Ger
man Government to see the light. II
was pigeonholed with the committee.
That is fair example of the spirit
in which the Senate proceeded to build
up its fraudulent, faith breaking tariff
law, which gives advantage TO the sin
terests' and is oppressive upon the
people. 1t was inevitable, if President
Taft sought TO carry out his purpose
of having the Tariff Board furnish
facts that would be a real factor in the
framing Of the tariff bills, that this
clash would come, President Taft has
been strenuous right along for Board
that would do this service. OF course,
it cannot do it without some money,
and if the stand-patters" in Con
gress pursue their tactics of prejudicial
ignorance to the end, they will defeat
this appropriation. But if they do de.
feat ii, that act will simply be in the
same disastrous channel of evil work
to which the Republican leaders of the
present Congress have furnished such
numerous examples.