The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-08-24
While Firm In Belief That
Tariff Law Is Good Taft
Wants It Better
MOVE IS CONSIDERED
ONE OF THE SHREWDEST
Taft Proposes TO Find Out What the
Tariff Commission Can Do With
the Tariff and Have n Revis-
ion Worth While

Beverly, Mass, August 2S.-President
Tafts keynote speech for the congress
sional campaign became known here to-
day The President will favor further
revision of the tariff.
While he is still convinced that the
Payne-Aldrich law is the best tariff law
the country has had up to this time. he
has at last reached the conclusion that
there is decided room for improvement.
Mr.. Taft does not propose that business
shall be upset by another wholesale re-
vision, but he will recommend to Con-
gress that Individual schedules in the tar
iff system be taken up separately and
disposed of on a scientific basis. The new
revision Is to be based on the findings
of the tariff commission as to the cost
of production at home and abroad. Only
a fair profit is to be allowed the Amer
ican producer. "Extortionate and unrea-
sonable profits,'' the President declares,
'are to be tolerated no longer"
The President has stated these facts
and has outlined his position in detail
in the letter he has sent Representative
Mckinley of Illinois for publication In
the republican congressional campaign
book The letter was mailed from Bev-
erly yesterday The time of making it
public has been left to the judgment of
the committee.
Very Shrewd Move
Political observers regard this move as
about the shrewdest that has been made
during the present administration. 1t
offers an excellent opportunity for the
insurgents and the regulars to get to-
gether in the campaign and President
Taft has been anxious to fnd ground
on which the different factions could meet
without embarrassment to either The
principal fight of the insurgents was on
certain schedules of the tariff bill. Pres
ident Taft is meeting them more than
half way in admitting that individual
schedules need further revision. At the
same time he is backing up the regulars
in that he believes they did the best they
possibly could with the unreliable in
formation that was in their hands.
With the creation of the tariff board un-
der the Payne-Aldrich act, and the eH-
largement of its powers by provision OF
the last Congress. the President believes
way has been opened to put the tariff
on a scientific basis for the first time
in the history of the country.
The objection has been raised and urged
on the President that the opening of an
individual schedule of the tariff would
mean the possible throwing open OF the
entire tariff act, with another long de-
bate and a stirring up of conditions gen.
orally
Mr.. Taft proposes to meet this with the
recommendation to Congress that before
any schedule is taken up for further con-
sideration a rule shall be passed by the
House and the Senate providing that
amendments to a certain schedule of the
tariff shall be in order and that any
amendments not germane to that schedule
shall be declared out of order.
It is believed that with a workable
majority in the two houses of Congress
and with the insurgents lined up with
the regulars for the programme outlined
by the President, there will be little or
no difficulty in putting through such
rule.
Work of Commission
From the first President Taft has been
interested in the work of the new tariff
commission. He regarded the creation of
that body as one of the most important
provisions of the new tariff act and it was
one of the reasons for his declaration that
1t was the best tariff act ever passed.
The President takes the ground that
II was impossible to revise the tariff i'm
mediately after the republican platform
was adopted and to revise at the same
time on a basis of the difference in the
cost of production at home and abroad.
He believes that substantial progress was
ms de in the Payne-Aldrich act and now
that the tariff commission has got its in
quiries well under way, it soon will be
possible to take UP the individual sched-
ules as fast as the facts and figures are
available and revise them actually on
the basis declared for in the party plat
form.
The President already has had two con-
ferences with Chairman III. c. Emery of
the tariff commission this summer The
President proposes to have the entire tar
iff board meet him in Beverly some time
In September.
Professor Emery recently spent sew
eral months abroad. James B. Reynolds.
a member of the commission, has been
abroad for a long time. There Is every
reason to believe that preliminary re-
port from the commission will be avail
able this fall.