The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1910-09-09
TARIFF NOT RIGHT
ROOSEVELT SAYS IN SIOUX FALLS
1T lsNrT SATISFACTORY.
COMMISSION HIS SOLUTION
He Believes That Problem and the
Matter Of River and Harbor Leg
islatlon Should Be Handled by Ex.
pert Body.

pert Body.
Sioux Falls. 8. D.. Sept. 3.--That the
tariff now in force is not satisfactory
n that the remedy for the trouble
10 he creation Of q tariff commits
sion was the burden Of an address
delivered here today by Col. Rooss-
welt, The former president arrived
late IN the afternoon prepared to
spend the night here. His speech
was ne follows:
Whenever men Just like ourselves
probably not much better, and certainly
no worss-contfnually fail TO give w the
results we havs a right to expect from
their enerts, we may just as well make
up u minds that the fault Lies. not In
their personality, but In the conditions
under which they work, and profit comes,
not from denouncing them. but In seeing
that the conditions are changed. This Is
especially true OF tariff-making. It has
been conclusfveiy shown. by experiments
repeated again and again. that the meth
ods OF tarin-making by congress, which
have now obtained for so many years.
cannot, from the vary nature OF the case
bring really satisfactory results. 1 think
A~t Nho PtCSCnL LdTAn IL DcLtGF imam Ln0
Hast, and considerably better than the
one before the last; hut X has certainly
rallied to give general satisfaction. / be-
ueve this country Ii fully committed TO
the principle of projections; but II ia to
protection as a principle; to protection
primarily In the interest OF the tandard
or living of the American w~orkingman.
l believe that when protection becomes,
not q principle, but q privilege and q
nTeTGrGnGA-nE = a
ieges and preferences-then the American
people disapprove of II. Now. to correct
the trouble, 1t IL necessary, In the first
place, to get In mind clearly what we
want, and, In the next place, to get In
mind clearly the method by which we
nope to obtain what we want. What we
want is a square deal in the tariff as in
everything else; a square deal for the
wage-earner; a square deal for the m
ployer; and o square deal for the gem
eral public. To obtain II we must nave a
thoroughly efficient and w~elI-equipped
tarif commission.
The tariff ought to be a material issue
and not a moral issue; but IL instead OF n
square deal we get a crooked deal, then
IL becomes very emphaticalIy a moral Is
sue, What we desire In a tariff is such
measure or protection as will edualize the
cost or production here and abroad: and
as the cost OF production Is mainly labor
cost, this means primarily a tariff sufi-
Client TO make up for the difference In Ia
Dor cost here and abroad. The American
public wants the American laboring man
put on an equality with other citizens. so
that he shall a the ability TO achieve
the American standard OF living and the
capacity to enjoy Il; and TO do this we
must see that his wages are not lowered
by improper competition with inferior
wage-workers ~abroad-with wage-work-
ers who are paid poorly and who live an
no Americans are willing TO live. But
the American public does not wish to SEQ
the tarif so arranged as to benefit pri-
marily a few wealthy men.
Commission Is the Solution.
As a means toward the attainment OF
It's end In view we have as yet devised
nothing in any way as effective as a tar
III commission. There should be a COM
mission OF well-paid experts. men who
should not represent any Industry. who
should be masters Of their subjects: Of
the very highest character; and VIII
should approach tho matter with abso-
lutte disregard OF every outside conSidera-
ton These men should lake up IN sue
cession each subject with which the tar
IN deals and investigate the conditions Of
production here and abroad; they should
mo out the facts and not merely accent
the statements OF Interested parties. ana
they should report to congress on each
subject as soon as that subject has been
covered. Then action can be taken al
once on the particular subject concerned.
while the commission Immediately pro-
ceeds to Investigate another. BY these
means log-rolling woul be avoided and
each subject treated on IT'S merits. Will
there would be no such shock to general
industry as is implied I'm the present cus-
tom OF making sweeping changes In the
whole tarfn at once. Finally, II should
be the duty OF some governmental de-
partment or bureau to investigate the
conditions In the various protected In
d~ustries. n see that the laborers really
are getting the benefit Of the tariff sup
posed to be enacted in their interest.
Moreover, to insure good treatment
abroad we should keep the rlaximum
and minimum provision.
For Waterway Legislation, Also.
The same principle OF a first-ciass out
side commission should be ppsed 20
river and harbor legislation. At present
a river and harbor bill, like a tarifr bill.
tends to be settled by a sduabbie among
a lot OF big selfish interests and little
selfish interests, with scant regard to the
n really vital interest that of the gem
eral public. In this matter the National
legislature would do well to profit by the
example Of Massachusetts,. Formerly
Massachusetts dealt with its land and
harbor legislation just as at Washington
tariff and river and harbor laws have
been dealt with; and there was Just the
same pulling and hauling. the same bar
gaining and iog-rolling. the same subor-
dination Of the general interest to various
special interests. Last year Governor
Draper took up the matter, and on his
recommendation the legislature turned
the whole business over to q ccmmis-
sion Of experts; and all trouble and scan
dal forthwith disappeared. incidentally,
this seems to me to be a frst-class In
s<anea ~ nrn-~...&x,~ f.~f~latfnu