The Miller press. [volume] (Miller, S.D.) 190?-current, 1910-09-08
TARIFF NOT RIGHT
ROOSEVELT SAYS IN SIOUX FALLS
TT ISN'T SATISFACTORY.
COMMISSION HIS SOLUTION
He Believes That Problem and the
Matter Of River and Harbor Leg
l~sIatlon Should Be Handled by Ex-
pert Body.


pert Body.
Sioux Falls, S. d., Sept. 3.-That the
tariff now IN force is not satisfactory
and that the remedy for the trouble
is the creation Of a tariff commits
sion was the burden of an address
delivered here today by Col. Rooss-
velt. The former president arrived
late IN the afternoon prepared to
spend the night here. His speech
vas a follows:
Whenever men 3sst Nike ourselves
probably net much better, and certainly
No werss-continually fail TO give Ne the
results we have a right TO expect frsm
their Efforts, we may just as well make
up our minds that the fault lies, not in
their personality. but in the conditions
nnder 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. 1t has
been conclusively shown, by experiments
repeated again and again, that the meth
ods or t~srir-making by congress, which
nave now obtained for so many years,
cannot, from the very nature OF the case
bring really satisfactory results. i think
that the present tarirf is better thar the
last, and considerably better than the
one before the last; hut IT has certainly
FAILED TO Civ general satisfaction. / be-
neve this country is fully committed to
the principle OF protection; but It 10 to
protection as a principle; 10 protection
primarily In the interest OF the standard
OF living OF the American workingman.
i believe that whom protection becomes,
not a principle, but a privilege and a
pFafnronNA-n xARL-- .-N -
leges and preferences-then the American
people disapprove OF It. Now, to correct
the trouble, II 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 the tariff as in
everything else; a square deal for the
wage-earner; q square deal for the en-
ployer; and a square deal for the gen
eral public. To obtain II we must have q
thoroughly efficient and well-eduipped
tariff commission.
The tariff ought to be q material issue
and not a moral issue: but II instead Of a
square deal we get a crooked deal. then
IT becomes very emphatically a moral Is
sue. we desire in a tariff is such
measure Of protection as will ~eaualize the
cost or production here and abroad: and
as the cost Of production IS mainly labor
cost, this means primarily a tariff sufn-
Client TO make up for the difference in la
Dor cost here and abroad. The American
public wants the American laberinr man
put on an equality with other citizens, 80
that he shall have the ability to achieve
the American standard Of living and the
capacity to enjoy Il; and to do this we
must see that his wages are not lowered
by improper competition with inferior
.wage-workers abroad-wfth wGge-wsrk-
ers who are paid poorly and who live as
no Americans are willing to live. But
the American public does not wish to sea
the tariff so arranged as to benent pri-
martly a few wealthy men.
Commission Is the Solution.
AS a means toward the attainment n,
It's end in view we have as vet devised
nothing In any way as effective O.. a. tar
1T commission. There should be a COM
mission OF well-paid experts; men who
should 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-
ton, These men should take I'D in sue
cession each subject with which the tar
1T deals and Investigate the conditions OF
production here and abroad: they should
ind out the facts and not merely accent
the statements Of Interested parties; and
'ASy Sivuiu ItpOTl 10 congress on each
subject as soon as that subject has been
covered. Then action can he takan 81
once on the particular subject concerned.
while the commission immediately pro-
ceeds TO Investigate another. BY these
means log-rolling would be avoided ana
each subject treated on its merits. while
there would be no such shock 10 general
industry as Is implied in the present Gus
tom or making sweeping changes I'm the
whole tariff at once. Finally. II should
be the duty of some governments de-
psrtment or bureau 60 investisats tho
conditions IN the various protected In
d~ustries, and see that the laborers really
are getting the benent of the tariff sup-
posed TO bo enacted In their interest.
Moreover, to insure good treatment
abroad we should keep the maximum
and minimum provision.
For Waterway Legislation, Also.
Tn same principle OF a rrst-ciass out
side commission should be applied 10
river and harbor legislation. At present
q river and harbor bill, like a tariff bin,
tends to be settled by a squabble anon
a lot OF big selfish interests and little
setish interests, with scsnt regard to the
one really vital interest that Of the gen
eral public In this matter the National
legislature would DO well to profit by thu
example Of Massachusetts. Formerly
Massachusetts dealt with It's land and
harsor legislation just as at Washington
tariff and river and hsroor laws have
been dealt with: and there was Just tn
same pulling and hauling. the same bar
gaining and log-rollins, the same suhor-
dinauon 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 troubIs and scan
Sal forthwith disappeared. intellectually.
this seems to me to be a irst-olass In