The Salt Lake herald-Republican. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1909-1918, 1910-02-13

or high-priced cottoms in the nature
of luXuries. It was downward in re-
spect to nearly all other articles ex-
cept wOOlens, which were not affected
al all Certainly IL was not promised
that the rates of luXuTies should be
reduced. The revenues were falling
off, there was a deficit promised, and
il was essential that the revenues
should be increased. IT was no viola
ton of the promise to increase the rev.
enues by increasing the tax of luXu-
rieS, provided there was downward re-
vision on all other articles.
THE one substantial defect in COM
pliance with the promise of the plat
form was the failure to- reduce wool
ems. Does that defect so color the &C
ton Of the Republican party as to
make it a breach of faith leading TO
its condemnation? I do not think so.
Parties are like men. RevisiOns are
like the work Of men-they are not
perfect. The change which this tariff
effected marked a change downward
in the rate of duties, and 1t was a
recognition by the party that the time
had come when instead of increasing
duties, that they should decrease them;
that the party recognized in It's plat
form and in much of what 1t did,
that the proper measure of protection
was the difference in the cost OF pro-
duCtiOn of articles here and abroad
including a fair profit to the manufaC
turer. There was a dispute as to what
that difference is, and whether it was
recognized in the change Of all the
duties downward. Particularly was
this the case on the materials that en-
ter into the manufacture of paper and
paper itself. The production on print
paper was from Sc or 1915, or about
81 per cent.
Some Difference of Opinion.
There was a real difference of opinion
on the question of the fact whether the
new duty correctly measured the differ
ence in the cost of production of print
paper abroad and print paper here. 1t
affected the counting rooms OF the news
papers of the country and invited the
attention of the newspaper proprietors
who had associated themselves together
like other interests, for the purpose of Sc
curing a reduction of the tariff. The
failure to make a larger reduction showed
itself clearly in the editorial columns OF
q great number of the newspapers, what
ever their party prediction. Inc amount
of misrepresentation to which the tariff
bill in its effect as a downward revision
bill has been subjected has never been
exceeded in this country and II Will
doubtless take the actual operation or the
tariff bill for several years to show to
the country exactly what the legislation
and its effect are. It is perhaps too
early to institute the fairest comparisons
between the Payne-Aldrich bill and the
hill mich preceded it, but the Payne-Al-
drich bill has been in operation now for
six months and figures are at hand from
which we may make a reasonable infer
ence: first, as to whether il is a revision
downward, and, second, as to its capacity
for producing revenue, for It must be
borne in mind that the passage of the law
was demanded not only for the purpose
of changing rates in their effect upon
the industries Of the country, but also for
the purpose of increasing trade revenues
and the success of the measure is to be
Judged by its results in both these re-
speCts.
Figures Prove the Case.
"The bureau Of statistics is authority
for the statement that during the first
six months of the operation of the Payne
Aldrich law, which has just ended, the
average rate of duty paid on all dutiable
imports was 21.09 per cent ad valorem.
The average rate of duty paid on all i'm
ports for the same months for the four
preceding years under the Dingley law
was 243 This would show that the reduC-
ton il the Payne law is Pa per cent of
the value of the goods, or that the reduc-
ton below the previous tariff rates is u
per cent showing a downward revision
of this extent in those goods which are
dUtiable.
but this is not all. Under the Payne
law. sic per cent of the gross imports
for the last six months have been en-
tered free while under the four years
preceding for the same six months the
free list amounted to 1916 per cent of the
total impOrtations; so there was not only
a reduction of duty on dutiable imports Of
about y per cent, but also an enlarge
ment of about the same percentage OF
the free list.
For the production of revenue, the
PAYNE law is even more an improvement
on the Dingley bill. During the six