The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-09-05
TARIFF VIEWS OF
STRENUOUS one
HEARTILY coMMENDs TAFT's
TREATMENT or TARIFF-TAR-
IFF COMMISSION BEST.


Sioux Falls, s. D., Sept. 5.-Roose-
Welt broke his silence regarding the
tariff in his speech here Saturday even-4
ing. He heartily commended Taft on
his treatment Of the tariff. He spoke
in part as follows:
Whenever men just like ourselves
probably not much better, and certain
ly no worse--continually fail to give
us the results we have right to ex-
pect from their efforts, we may just az
well make UP our 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. 1t has been conclu-
sively shown, by experiments repeated
again and again, that the methods OF
tariff making by congress- which have
now obtained for so many years, cam"
not. from the very nature of the CASE
bring really satisfactory results. l.
think that the present tariff is better
than the last, and considerably better
than the one before the last; but it.
has certainly failed to give general sat-
!
fully committed to the principle of pro-
lection; but 1t is to protection as a,
principle; to protection primarily in
the interest of the standard of living OF
the American workingman. believe
that when protection becomes, not a.
principle, but privilege and prefer.
Eence-or, rather, tumble Of privileges,
and preferences-then the American
people disapprove of it. Now, to corr
rect the trouble, 1t is 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 hope to obtain what we want.
| That we want is a square deal in che
tariff as in everything else; square
deal for the wage Garner; a square deal
for the employer; and a square deal for
the public. To obtain it we must have
a thoroughly efficient and well-eqiuped
tariff commission.
Tariff National Issue. =
The tariff ought to be a material is
sue and not a moral issue; but If in
stead of a square deal we get crooked
deal, then ii becomes very emphatically
moral issue. What we desire in a
tariff Is such a measure of protection
as will equaIize the cost OF production
here and abroad; and as the cost Of
production is mainly labor cost, thr
means primarily tariff sufficient to
make up for the difference in labor cost
here and abroad. The American pub,
lie wants the American laboring man
put on an equality with other citizens,
so that he shall have the ability to
achieve the American standard Of liv@
ing and the capacity to enjoy it; and
to do this we must see that his wages
are not lowered by improper COMPETE
ton with inferior wage-workers
abroad-with wage-workers who are
paid poorly and who live as no Amer
leans are willing to live. But the
American public does not wish to sea
the tariff so arranged to to benefit pri-
marty a few wealthy men.
Tariff Commission Best.
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 a commission of well-paid experts:
who should not represent any industry;
men who should be masters Of their
subjects; Of the very highest charac-
ter: and who should approach the mat
ter with absolute disregard OF every
outside consideration. These men
should take up in succession each subs
ject with which the tariff deals and in
: vestigate the conditions of production
here and abroad; they should find out
the facts and not merely accept the
J statements Of interested parties; and
they should report to congress on each
subject as soon as that subject has
been covered. Then action can be
taken at once on the particular sub
ject concerned, while the commission
Immediately proceeds to investigate
, another. By these means og-rolljng
would be avoided and each subject
treated on it's merits, while there would
be no such shock to general industry
as Is implied in the present custom
Of making sweeping changes in the
whole tariff at once. Finally, it should
be the duty Of some government de-
partment or bureau to investigate the
, conditions in the various protected In
dustries, and see that the laborers
: really are getting the benefit of the
tariff supposed to be enacted in their
interest. Moreover, to insure good
: treatment abroad we should keep the
; maximum and minimum provision.
Inc same principle OIL nrSt-claSs
outside commission should be applied
] to river and harbor legislation. At
. present a river and harbor bill. like a
, tariff bill, tends to be settled by a
: squabble among lot of big, selfish in
terests and little selfish interests, with
scant regard to the one really vital in
terest, that OF the general public In
this matter the national legislature
would do well to profit by the example
of Massachusetts. Formerly Massa-
chusetts dealt with its land and har-
Dor 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
bargaining and log rolling, the same
) subordination Of the general interest," to
various special interests. Last year
= Governor Draper took up the matter.
: and on his recommendation the legis.
lature turned the whole business over
to a commission of experts; ard all
trouble and scandal forthwith disap-
Ipeared. Incidentally, this seems to me
to be first class instance of pro-
8 gressive legislation.