Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-12-03
THE TARIFF BOARD.
IV-HOW 1T WAS CREATED.
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

Herewith. on the other hand there have
been forces which have consistently OPP
posed the creation of such commission.
among these is the American
that the best tariff commission in the
world Is the Congress of the United
states. and that the proof thereof is to
be found in the tariff laws that have been
enacted. 1t has been the experience in
every investigation by commission in
the past that tariff duties have been de-
clared too high. and the Protective Tariff
sion with reference to any tariff laws yet
enacted. The Tariff League passed
resolution In which 1t declared itself lln-
afterably opposed to the creation of any
such body as a tariff commission. =
1t is more than probable that the forth
coming session of Congress will find two
widely varying inter-
Opposition From ests allied against
the creation of a
The people who advocate extreme high
protection will oppose such a rcommis-
sion because they see in it danger to
their pet idea. On the other hand, the
people who are advocating tariff for
revenue only are inclined to see in the
tariff commission idea an acceptance of
the general principle of protection. and
they wish to do nothing that would seem
to be in the way of agreeing to the
proposition that any protection at all is
essential or justified.
On the other hand, the friends of the
tariff commission idea assert that no
democratic state convention has ever OPP
posed the tariff commission idea per Sc.
Nearly all of the state conventions Of the
democratic party have been silent on the
question. Those which have *declared
against a tariff commission at 'afs have
drawn their indictment against it on the
ground of its being a subterfuge for de-
lay. The democratic state conventions
of California and Utah have Endorsed the
tariff commission idea.
A proposition in connection with the
tariff commission idea which arouses
more uneasiness on the part of the ultra
protectionsts than any other is that of
revising the tariff schedule by schedule.
The records of tariff legislation, in the
past show that very few of the schedules,
high or low, have been enacted as propo
sitions standing alone. AS d rule not
one of them could muster a majority
either in the House or in the Senate eX-
cept in connection with other items and
a trading of support. This has been one
of the main things against which those
advocating tariff commission have
complained. MANY years ago advocates
of protection declared that the course
to be pursued was to take the whole
tariff question into Congress at once,
and that course has long been followed.
The tariff board realizes that while it
may be able to aid Congress IN THE. col
ectjo on of
Question Likely facts. upon
To Stay in Politics. hn q
predicate its course with respect. to the
tariff. 1t will never be able to take the
tariff question out of politics. The
members consider 1t an economic sdues
ton, in which all of the people are inter-
ested, and assert that the voters will al
ways have to decide whether the ~eeuntry
shall be committed to high protection.
low protection or no protection at all.
They believe that they have a function
in the government comparable to that of
the Interstate commerce commission, the
bureau of labor, and like institutions.s