Pierre weekly free press. (Pierre, S.D.) 1889-19??, 1910-09-08
TARIFF NOT RIGHT
ROOSEVELT SAYS IN SIOUX FALLS
1T ISN'T SATISFACTORY.
COMMISSION HIS SOLUTION

Ho Believes That Problem and the
Matter Of River and Harbor Leg
IsIatlon Should Be Handled by Elk
pert Body.
Sioux Falls, S. D.. Sept. 3.-That the
tariff now in force IL not satisfactory
and that the remedy for the trouble
sion was the burden OF an address
delivered here today by Col. Reose-
welt. The former president arrived
late In the afternoon prepared to
spend the night here. His speech
was as follows:
Whenever mon Just nhs ourselves
probably not much better, and certainly
ne worse-continually fail to give US the
results We have right to expect from
Their Efforts, we may just as we'll make
up eur minds that the fault lies not in
their personality. but in tho conditions
under which they work. and prsft comes.
not from dencuncing them, but in seeing
that the conditions arc changed This is
especially true Of tarirr-making. It has
been conclusvely shown, by experiments
repeated again ana again. that the meth
DDS OF tarir1nRkinE by congress, which
have now obtained for so many years,
cannot from the very nature Of the case
pr1ng really satisfactory results. I think
that the present tariff IL better than the
last, and considerably better than the
| one before the last; but it has certainly
rallied to givo general satisfaction I be-
heve this country liz 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 workinsman.
believe that when protection becomes
| not principle, but privilege and q
| preference-or, rather. tumble of privi-
| leges and INSTRUMENTATION the American
people disapprove of 1t. New to correct
| the trouble 1t Is necessary, in the first
| place, to get In mind clearly what we
want, and, in tho next place, to get in
mind clearly the method by which we
| nope to obtain what we want What we
want Is a square deal in the tariff as in
everything else; a square deal for the
/ WaSe-earner; square deal for the en-
ployer; and square deal for the gen
eral public To obtain 1t we must have a
| thoroughly efficient and well-eouipped
| tariff commission
| The tariff ought to be q material issue
| and not a moral issue; but If Instead OF a
| square deal we get a crooked deal, then
! IL becomes very emphatically a moral Is
| sue What we desire in tariff is such
measure of protection as will eoualize the
/ cost Of production here and abroad and
as the cost OF production IS mainly labor
cost, this means primarily a tariff sufh-
Gent 10 make up for the difference in Ia
/ Dor cost here and abroad. The American
! public wants the American labor,ng man
put on an equality with other citizens. SO
that he shall have the ability to achieve
the American standard of living and the
! capacity to enjoy 1t; and to do this we
must see that his wages are not lowered
by improper competition with inferior
Wage-workers abroad-with wage-worl..
ers who 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.
mar1ly few wealthy men,
Commission Is the Solution.
/ AS means toward the attainment OF
itS end IN view we have yet devised
nothlng In any way effective as a tar.
III commission There should be a com.
mission OF We1l-pad experts men whr
should not represent any Industry. who
should be masters of their subjects: OF
the very highest character: and WIN
should approach the matter with abso
ute disregard Of every outside considera
uoh Ihese men should take up in sue
cession each subject with which the tar
'tf deals and investigate the conditions a.
production here and abroad: thew shorll
ma out the facts and not merely accep
the statements Of interested parties. anf
they should report to congress on eacl
sunJect as soon as that subject has beer
covered. Then action can be taken a
once on the particular subject concerned
while the commission Immediately pro
ceedS to investigate another By thes.
means log-rolIing would be avoided ant
each subject treated on It's merits Will,
there would be no such shock to genera
industry as is implied in the present Gus
tom or making sweeping changes in tn,
whole tariff at once. Finally II Shout,
be the duty of some governmental do
partment or bureau to investigate tn,
conditions In the various protected in
dustries and see that the laborers reall,
are getting the benefit Of the tariff SUP
posed to be enacted in their interest
Moreover, to insure good treatmen
abroad we should keep the maximum
and minimum provision.
or Waterway Legislation, Also.
The same principle of a frst-clas. out
side commission should be applied I,
river and harbor legislation At presen
river and harbor bill, like tariff bill
tends to be settled by a squabhle amen,
lot of big selfish interests and Uttl
selfish interests, with scant regard to tn
one really vital interest that of the gen
eral public. In this matter the Nationa
legislature would do well to profit by tn
, example Of Massachusetts Formerl
Massachusetts dealt with its land an.
harhor legislation just as at washington
| tariff and river and harbor laws hav
been dealt with and there was Just tn
: same pulling and hauling, the same bar
J gaining and log-rolling, the same subor
dinatien of the general interest to variou
special interests. Last year Governo
Draper took up the matter, and on hi
recommendation the legislature turne
the whole business over to commits
2 sion Of experts; and all trouble and scan
dal forthwith disappeared. incidentally
this seems to me to be f1rst-class In