The Charles Mix new era. (Wagner, Charles Mix County, S.D.) 1???-1911, 1910-09-09
TARIFF NOT RIGHT
ROOSEVELT SAYS IN SIOUX FALLS
IT ISN'T SATISFACTORY.
COMMISSION HIS SOLUTION
He Believes That Problem and the
Matter Of River and Harbor Leg
isIation Should Be Handled by Elk
pert Body.

Matter Of River and Harbor Leg
i~sIatlon Should Be Handled by Elk
pert Body.
Sioux Falls, 8. D., Sept. 3.-That the
tariff now in force 10 not satisfactory
and that the remedy for the trouble
Is the creation Of . tariff commits
sion was the burden Of An address
delivered here today by Col. Roose-
welt. The former president arrived
late in the afternoon prepared to
spend the night here. His speech
was as follows:
Whenever men just like ourselves
probably not much better, and certainly
no worse-continually fail to give Us the
results we have a right to expect from
their efforts. we may just as we'll 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 ~tarin-making. It has
been conclusively shown. by experiments
repeated again and again. that the meth
DDS OF tartn-making by congress, which
have now obtained for SO many years.
VI AC WHY h1tuEC VI Tx CAbC
bring really satisfactory results. I think
that the present tariff IL better than the
last, and considerably better than the
one before the last; but 1t has certainly
rallied to give general satisfaction. I be-
1eve this country is fully committed to
the principle OF protection; but 1t is to
protection as a principle; to protection
primarily In the interest Of the standard
OF living of the American workingman.
1 believe that when protection becomes,
not a principle, but a privilege and q
preference-or, rather, q tumble of privi-
leges and preferences-then the American
people disapprove of 1t. Now, to correct
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. What we
want Is a square deal in tho tariff as in
everything else; a square deal for the
wage-earner; a square deal for the en-
pioyer; and a square deal for the gem
eral public. To obtain 1t we must have a
thoroughly efficient and well-eouipped
tariff commission.
The tariff ought to be a material issue
and not a moral issue; but If instead of a
square deal we get a crooked deal. then
1t becomes very emphatically a moral is
sue. what we desire in a tariff is such
measure of protection as will ~eauslize the
cost or production here and abroad; and
as the cost Of production is mainly labor
cost. this means primarily a tariff suff-
clent to make up for the difference In Ia
Dor cost here and abroad. The American
pubic 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 tho
capacity to enjoy IT.; and to do this we
must see that his wages are not lowered
oy improper competition with inferior
yIn pa- r1y
ers VINO 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 pri-
marily a few wealthy men.
Commission Is the Solution.
AS a means toward the attainment of
IT'S emo IN view we have as yet devised
nothing In any way as effective as a tar
III commission. There should be a COM
mission or wen-paid experts: men who
shouIo not represent any industry: who
shouid be masters Of their subjects: Of
the very highest character; and who
should approach the matter with abso-
lutte disregard Of every outside considera-
uon Ihese men should a k up in sue
cession each subject with which the tar
III deals and investigate the conditions Of
production here and abroad. thew should
mo out the facts and not merely accent
the statements Of interested parties: and
they should report to congress on each
subject as soon as thai subject has been
covered. Then action can be taken at
once on the particular subject concerned.
while the commission immediately pro-
ceeds to investigate another. By these
means log-rolfng would be avoided and
each subject treated on its merits, while
there would be no such shock to general
industry as is implied in the present Gus
tom Of making sweeping changes in the
whole tariff at nnno IyoaJ1,x a. I--Ia
be the duty Of some governmental de,
partment or bureau to investigate the
conditions In the various protected in
dustr1es, and see that the laborers really
are getting the benefit Of the tariff sup
posed to be enacted in their interest.
Moreover, to insure good treatment
abroad we should keep the maximum
and minimum provision.
For Waterway Legislation, Also.
The same principle of a f1rst-class out
side commission should be applied to
river and harbor legislation. At present
a river and harbor bill, like q tariff bill,
tends to be settled by a squabble among
a lot of big selfish interests and little
selfish interests, with scant regard to the
one really vital interest tina of the gen
eral public. In this matter the National
legislature would do we'll to profit by the
example of Massachusetts. Formerl
Massachusetts, dealt with It's land and
harbor 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 bar
gaining and log-rolling, the same subor-
dinaton Of the general interest to various
special interests. Last year Governor
Draper took up the matter. and on his
recommendation the legislature turned
the whole business over to a commits
sion Of experts; and all trouble and scan
dal forthwith disappeared. incidentally,