Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-01-10
READY FOR CONVENTION
Opening Session at Columbia Theater
Tomorrow Morning.
PURPOSE OF THE GATHERING
Creation of Permanent Board to
Gather Material Upon Which
Congress May Legislate.

Commission Association will open tomor-
row morning at 1890 o'clock at the CO.
lumbia Theater. The convention will be
called to order by John Chandler CobR,
president of the association, and the in
vocation will be made by Rev. Ulysses G..
B. Pierce, chaplain of the Senate.
Addresses will be made at the opening
session by Prof. Henry c. Emery, chair
man Of the tariff board: Senator Albert
J. Beveridge of Indiana; III. L. Miles,
chairman Of the executive committee of
the association, and by Representative
Samuel w. Mccall of Massachusetts. a
member of the House ways and means
committee.
The delegates to the convention will be
entertained at luncheon by the Washing
ton Chamber of Commerce, and the aft
delegates may visit the Capitol and call
Many Already Here.
Many of the delegates to the convention
have already reached Washington, and
several hundred more will arrive tonight.
The association represents more than a
hundred of the most prominent CONNER
cial bodies in the country. all q which
stand behind the proposition that the
tariff must be taken out of politics and
dealt with in a scientific manner, in order
to best protect the business interests OF
the country.
Henry f. Towne. president Of the Mer-
chants Association of New York and
treasurer of the National Tariff Commits
sion Association, who has already reached
Washington, declared today that the re.
sponsibility for enacting tariff commits
sion le giSlatiOn Is placed squarely on the
republican members Of Congress by the
action of tthe republican conventions of
twenty-eight states indorsing such legis-
latiOn
Wonders Worked by Time.
According to the proverb, time works
wonders said Mr. Towne. Certainly
this is true as to the progress of the
movement for a permanent tariff commits
sion during the interval between the In.
dianapolis convention of February, 1903
and the convention to be held in this city
this week. The discussion related to a
theory which it was hoped might be con-
verted into a reality. Today we have the
beginning of that reality in the present
tariff board.
1T is hoped and believed that the pro-
ceedings of the convention of this week.
constituting as it will rOstrum for the
expression of the sentiment Of all classes
tf the people and of all sections of the
country, will SO impress Congress with
the sincerity. urgency and insistence of
the demands for the creation of per-
manent tariff commission as to impel 1t
to enact such legislation during the pres
ent and final session of the siXty-first
Congress.
Republicans Still Responsible.
"The republican party still is i'm con-
troll of Congress and still is responsible
to the people for any action taken dur
ing this session of Congress. The re-
publican platform adopted in twenty-eight
states during the recent campaign in
dorsed the principle of the tariff COM
mission movement and urged the enact
ment Of law creating such commits
sion and insuring its permanency. The
opportunity for responding to this man-
date of their constituencies is now open
to the republican majority and the ie-
Sponsibility of responding to that man.
date rests squarely upon that majority.
Some of the democratic state platforms
indOrSed the movement and none con-
demned il save three. and these only on
the ground that it was subterfuge IN
tended to impose an obstacle to tariff in
the future
Represent All Sections.
The advocates of a permanent tariff
commission represent all sections and all
interests, and include all creeds of tariff
belief and members of all political par
ties The movement does not relate to
the question of tariff policy, TO high
protection OF low protection. or to tariff
for revenue only, but simply, solely and
-. .anfb bod s.F lIi.anfi N
of whatever tariff principle the country
may from time to time adopt and main
tain
..The sole purpose of the tariff commits
sion will be to ascertain facts. technical
facts. industrial facts. agricultural facts,
statistical facts and facts concerning la
Dor lost and labor wages: to furnish these
facts to Congress as the basis on which
it may legislate intelligently and equitably
to ali interests in carrying out whatever
tariff policy the country may sanction
and authorize.