The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-09-24
Author of Tariff Bill Makes
Earnest Defense of Measure

on that article. or course intelligent
men generally familiar with the tariff
believe such a revision should be down
ward on most articles.
| The matter of preparation Of 4
iarlit bill ~ a most pcrpleIing one. I'm
der the definition Of what the bill
should contain in a platform as plain as
that adopted at Chicago in 1908, the
task is not easy. With different wage
country, honest mcu seeking the differ.
cnces IN wages in every part of each
| county, honest mon seeking the differ.
cncc IN labor cost hcrr and abroad will
not agree in all their conclusions. To
reconcile these differences among
twelve men selected for the task was a
part of the labor we had before us and
in the last analysis these differences
had 30 be settled by a majority vote.
The result Of our deliberations was
most satisfactory to mo in general re.
suits. although there were other items.
like those of the woolen schedule, which
was anxious to revise. II was a
source of great disappointment to mo af-
ter two exhaustive and extended hear
IDgs, that il was not possible TO pre-
sent any program that majority Of
the committee would adopt for re
vision Of this schedule. Tine reason
was not that the committee was uuduly
I'M luentOu DN IllbSG interested, D1I InHi
they could not agree upon the labor cost
Of producing wool and woolcn goods in
this country and abroad with reason
able profit TO the producers. OF course
this left the wooden schedule where it
was III the Dlngley act with one or two
small reductions in duties.
''Somc of the amendments proposed
by the senate were good and improved
the bill. and when it got into confer
E,,- 4 ,lI 4 a A
TO have such amendment agreed TO, and
nearly all Of them were.
"The law as it was signed by the
president has resulted in a general re-
vision downward, and no amount Of spe-
cial pleading, no misstatemcnt of facts
and no suppression of material facts
will ever make it appear otherwise.
''Thc law has turned deficit of $5S,
100000 into a surplus of more than
$22 100000 in its first years operation.
1t is a revenue producer. We put in
creased duties on wines, liquors and like
Injuries, We have no apologies to make
for it. These arc The articles on which
the revenues of the government should
be raised as far as possible.
''1t is an easy thing to say that the
present tariff law has increased the cost
of living, but it is impossible to prove
it. 1t is almost impossible TO find
single item on which the tariff was in
creased on which the price has shown
a similar increase. On the other hand,
on nearly every item where we reduced
the tariff or where We left 1T the same
as under the old law, they have main
tained the old price and sometimes in.
creased it. We reduced the tariff on
lumber from 81 to Sl.25 and lumber
brings the same old price. We increased
the duty on shingles from SO TO 80 cents
and thc price of shingles has been lower
ever since the act became law. I
could enumcrate these items by the
hour. showing that the price has no re-
lation whatever to the changes In the
tariff act.
"Thc increase in price of articles is
world wide. No other country during
the last three or four years has gone
through general tariff revision and
vet every country shows the same in
crease on the necessities of life. -
A modern Office. Get the choice new