The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1910-09-05
Asserts That Present Tariff is
Not Entirely Satisfactory
But Blames Methods
Now in Use
COUNTRY FAvORS PROTECTION
In Address at Sioux Falls, Former
President Makes Position on Pres
ont Tariff known-Wants
Square Deal"

Sioux Falls, S. d., Sept. g. Theo
Roosevelt delivered the following adj
dress in this city Saturday evening
has been conclusively shown, by
experiments repeated again and again.
that the methods of tariff making by
Congress, which have now obtained
for so many years cannot, from the
very nature OF the case. bring really
satisfactory results.
with the present tariff, made by
the same methods as it's predecessor
and as that predecessors predecessor,
there Is grave dissatisfaction. The
people know that there are some
things in II which are not right and
therefore, they tend to suspect the,
as / think. more numerous things In
it which are right. They know the
same system on which it's predeces-
sors were made, encourages a scram-
BILE of selfish interests, to which the
all important general interest of the
public. is necessarily more or less sub
ordinated. There was a time when
this scramble was regarded as the
natural course I'm tariff making and
was not resented. Now the people
demand. and rightly, that the profit
of the special interests shall be sub
ordnated to the general welfare In
every case. 1t is this attitude of, the
people which must be met In dealing
with the present tariff, and with pro-
10 b arfH
Very little Improvement, indeed, will
follow any attempt to revise the
tariff by methods hitherto used. The
thing to do is to change the methods"
believe this country is fully COM
mitted to the principle of protection;
but 1t is to protection as a principle;
to protection primarily in the interest
of the standard of living. believe that
when protection becomes( not a prin-
ciple but a privilege and a preference
or rather. a tumble of privileges
and preferences-then the American
people disapprove of it, What we
want is a square deal In the tariff as
in everything else; a square deal for
the wage Garner; a square deal for
the employer; and square deal for
the general public. To obtain 1t we
must have a thoroughly efficient and
we'll equipped tariff commission.
The tariff ought 10 be a material
issue and not a moral issue; but II
instead of n square deal we get a
crooked deal, then 1t becomes very
emphatically a moral issue What we
desire In tariff is such n measure
of protection as will equalize the cost
of production here and abroad; and
as the cost OF production Is mainly
labor cost, this means primarily q
tariff sufficient to make up for the diff
ference i'm labor cost here and abroad.
The American public wants the Amer
lean laboring man put on an equal
ity with other citizens, so that he
shall have the ability to achieve the
American. standard Of living and the
capacity to enjoy It; and to do this
we must see that his wages are not
lowered by improper competition
with inferior wage workers abroad
with wage.workers who are paid |
poorly and who live as no Americans |
are willing to live. But the American |
public does not wish to see the tariff |
so arranged as to benefit primarily a |
few wealthy men.
As a means toward the attainment |
OF its end In view we have as yet de- |
vised nothing In any way as effective |
as tariff commission. There should |
be commission of well-paid experts: |
men who should not represent any |
industry; who should be masters OF
their subjects; of the very highest |
character; and who should approach |
the matter with absolute disregard of
every outside consideration These |