Tonopah daily bonanza. [volume] (Tonopah, Nev.) 1906-1929, 1910-09-04
Declares That the Tariff Should Be for the interests of the
Workingnen and Not for Capitalists
While Payne-Aldrich Tariff Law Gives
Dissatisfaction, Fault Lies With
the System Under Which the
Law Was Enacted.

with proposals to amend the present
tariff. Very little improvement, in
deed, will follow any attempt to re-
wise the tariff by methods used
hitherto. The thing to do is to
change the methods.
II believe this country is fully
committed to the principle of pro-
lection; but it is to protection as
a principle; to protect primarily in
the interest of the standard of liv-
ing of the American workingman.
believe that when protection be-
comes, not principle but privi-
lege and a preference-or, rather,
a tumble of privileges and prefer
ences-then the American people
| disapprove of it. Now, to correct
the trouble, it is necessary, in the
| first place, to get in mind clearly
what we want, an din the next
place, to get in mind clearly the
| method by which we hope to get
what we want. What we want is a
square deal in the tariff as in ev-
erything else; square deal for the
wage Garner; square deal for the
employer; and square deal for
the general public. To obtain it we
must have a thoroughly efficient
and well-equipped tariff commission.
The tariff ought to be a material
issue and not, moral issue; but if
instead of square deal we get a
crooked deal, then it becomes very
we desire in tariff is such a
measure of protection as will equal
ize the cost of production here and
abroad; and as the cost of produc-
tion is mainly labor cost, this
means primarily a tariff sufficient
to make up for the difference in
labor cost here and abroad. The
American public 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 living and
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 Ameri-
cans are willing to live. But the
American public does not wish to
see the tariff so arranged as to ben
eft primarily few wealthy men.
"As means toward the attain
ment of its end in view We have as
yet devised nothing in any way as
effective as a tariff commission.
There should be commission of
well-paid experts; men who should
not represent any industry; who
should be masters of their sub
jects; of the very highest character
and who should approach the mat
ter with absolute disregard of ev-
cry outside consideration. These
men should take up in succession
each subject with which the tariff
deals and investigate the conditions
of production here and abroad
they should find out the facts and
not merely accept the statements oi
interested parties; and they should
report to congress on each subject
as soon as that subject has beer
covered. Then action can be taker
at once on the particular subject
concerned, while the commission i'm
mediately proceed to investigate
another. BY these means log
rolling would be avoided and eacl
subject treated on it's merits, while
there would be no such shock tC
present custom of making sweeping
changes in the whole tariff at once
5 Finally, it should be the duty o.
: some governmental department o.
5 bureau to investigate the conditions
: in the various industries, and SEE
that the laborers really are getting
: the benefit of the tariff supposed t
3 be enacted in their interest. More
I over. to insure good treatmen
A abroad We should keep the maxi
1 mum and minimum provision"