The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1910-12-06
.TAFT'S MESSAGE
UP TO CONGRESS
Continued from Page 81

for tariff purposes is that the question
of the rate of a duty imposed shall be
come moresof business question and
less Of a political question, to be as.
certained by experts of long training
and accurate knowledge The halt in
business and the shock to business due
to the announcement that new tariff
bill is to be prepared and put in op-
GRAFTON will be avoided by treating the
schedules one by one as occasion shall
arise for a change in the rates of each
and only after report upon the sched-
ule by the tariff board competent to
make such report.
1t is not likely that the board will
be able to make report during the
present session of congress on any OF
the schedules, because proper exam
anation involves an enormous amount
of detail and great deal of care, but
I hope to be able at the opening of the
new congress, or at least during the
session of that congress, to bring to
its attention the facts in regard to
those schedules in the present tariff
that may prove to need amendment
The carrying out of this plan, Of
course, involves the full cooperation
of congress in limiting the considera-
ton in tariff matters to one schedule
at a time, because if a proposed
amendment to tariff bill is to in
volve a complete consideration of all
the schedules. and another revision
then we shall only repeat the evil
from which the business of this coun-
try has in times past suffered most
grievously by stagnation and uncer-
tainty pending a resettlement of a
law affecting all business directly or
Indirectly, and the effect of which no
wise business man would ignore in
new projects and new investments.
The inquiries which the members of
the tariff board made during the last
summer into the methods pursued by
other governments with reference to
the fixing of tariffs and the determina-
ton of their effect upon trade show
that each government maintains an
office or bureau, the officers and en-
ployes of which have made their life
WOIh CuS SIuuy vi Ill 1udCIc1o VI
foreign and home prices and cost of
articles imported and the effect of the
tariff upon trade, so that whenever
change is thought to be necessary in
the tariff law this office is the source
of the most reliable information as to
the propriety of the change and its
effect.
am strongly convinced that we
need in this government just such an
Office and that it can be secured by
making the tariff board already ap-
pointed permanent tariff commission.
with such duties, powers and emolu-
ments as it may seem wise to congress
TO give.
recommend that congress establish
a commission to determine as early as
practicable a comprehensive policy for
the organization, mobilization and adj
ministration Of the regular army, the
organized militia and the volunteer
forces in the event of war
Need for Additional Officers.
One of the great diff culties in the
prompt organization and mobilization
of militia and volunteer forces is the
absence of competent officers of the
rank of captain to teach the new army,
by the unit Of the company, the bust
ness of being soldiers and of taking
care of themselves so as to render
effective service. This need of army
officers can only be supplied by pro.
visions of law authorizing the appoint
ment of greater number of army
officers than are needed to supply the
commands of regular army troops now
enlisted in the service.
In order that the militia of each
state should be properly drilled and
made more like the regular army, reg
'ular army officers should be detailed
TO assist the 'adjutant general Of each
state in the supervision of the state
militia But this is impossible unless
provision is made by congress for
very considerable increase in the
number of company and field officers
OF the army.
Fortitioations.
nave ulI0Ctcu LI1dC C1S estimates
for appropriation for the improvement
of coast defenses in the United States
should be reduced to a minimum,
while those for the completion of the
needed Notifications at Corregidor, in
the Philippine islands, and at Pearl
Harbor. in the Hawaiian islands,
should be expedited as much as pos.
sible
During the last summer at my re-
quest the secretary of war visited the
Philippine islands and has described
his trip in his report. He found the
islands in a state of tranquility and
growing prosperity, due largely to the
change in the tariff laws, which has
opened the markets of America to the
products of the Philippines and has
opened the Philippine markets to
American manufactures.
Panama Canal.
At the instance of Colonel Goethals,
the army engineer officer in charge of
the work on the Panama canal, have