The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-12-27
SHOOTS BELATED AWAKENING

clear that the attitude Of the stand
pattcrs at this time would meet that
need. The standpattcrs have been pro
claiming ever since the passage OF their
buuko revision of the tariff law Of
1909, that the measure they then passed
was the best tariff law ever enacted. II
WAS impossible. however, for them 20
convince the country that their claim
had even plausibility, let alone fact.
The people rejected the claim utterly,
and passed Judgment upon their tariff
revision by a complete ovcrturn of the
House OF Representatives, giving the
! Democrats q larger majority IN that
body through tho election Of 1910 than
| the Republicans bad bad in IL there.
toforc. There is no question whatever
! about the condemnation of that lis,
honest tariff revision bv the people Of
the United States.
! During the extra session Of the pres
ent year the Democrats were very
anxious 10 pass some amendments TO
! that tariff law, recognizing the ad.
mittcd fact that tho law was not only
bad in itself but was utterly unscicn.
| tifc and inIefensiblc from tho practical
standpoint; but their bills were as bad
rs the law which they sought TO amend
| Immediately upon the passage of that
law. the wooden manufacturers of the
| United States formed combine and
Bought largely Of foreign woods so that
80. -,
woolgrovcrs and control the American
price. OF course, IL was impossible for
the American woolgrowcrs TO sell their
product in The markets Of the world,
| because II was raised by the fostering
| of the tariff, aud could not compete
with wools from other countries. The
market for il was exclusively IN
America; and American wooden manu-
racturers must buy tho wool. Very
naturally, these manufacturers wanted
TO gct this wool at as low cost as
possible, and they laid their plans ac.
| cordinsly, and followed out their. tac-
ties to that end. The result has been a
depression in the wool market. and
naturally so since the interests of tho
manufacturers were directly opposed to
those Of the woolgrowcrs,
Not only did the American wooden
manufacturers thus absorb 10 them
selves the advantage Of the situation,
but they found that by careful sclcc-
tion Of foreign woods. by clipping out
the portions of 6ccccs that carried the
heavy grease and dirt, they could al
most cut in two the wastagc Of 90 2-3
per cent allowed on the secured basis.
And so tho wooden manufacturers had
a double advantage.
All these things were pointed out in
The Tribune; but the Utah woolgrow
ers utterly rejected The Tribune S
showing. their action being dominated
nv Smoot for political purposes. Other
woolgrowcrs, however, saw the point;
those Of Idaho, of Montana, and cs
pcciaIly of California. coming out in
open protest against the situation.
Finally. 10 cap the climax. President
Taft s message TO Congress, based on
the facts gathered by the Tariff Board.
completely yindicatcd tho showing
made bv the California woolgrowcrs,
and that had been insisted upon by
The Tribune from the passage of the
bunko revision. President Taft, basing
his message upon the facts found by
the Tariff Board. showed that the
standar per cent OF shrinkagc was al
together too high, and gave the i'm.
portcrs an undue advantage. lie com
putcd that on all-arouud imports OF
wool the shrinkage would not average
more than fifty. per cent, and. in Sc
loctcd flccccs and clipped hccces the
| shrinkagc might 90 as low as thirty
five per cent. President Taft. therefore.
recommended that the stanjardizing
should bc changed. and that the secured
basis should be made far lower in per
ccntacc than had prevailed. Senator
cd with the view of President Taft; 4;
As matter Of fact, he had known all
along that the tariff was working
against the woolraiscrs; but for politi-
cal reasons he had remained silent. al
| lowing the claim TO stand that the
tarin revision was "'thc best ever.
And now that the GROUND is swept
completely from under his feet,
\postlc Smoot comes 10 tho front ac-
ccptins the showing a. made. and nm.
dcr,aking 10 father bill in strict con
Sonancc with tho President S recon-.
msndaiious. hoping, doubtless, that the
| hill viii bc called after his name But
/ Smoot is rather late in this; he has
been Que Of the loudcst shoutcrs for the
perfection of the revision Of 1909. and
| among the most sturdy in protesting
against anv tampcring with the tariff
law as tIHu enacted. lie has been cs-
pccinlly severe upon those who claimed
! that re-, i-iou could be made piece.
meal holding that the tariff law was
a complete and consistent whole, and
/ iha, 20 interfere with any part of it