Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-08-18
President Says Measure is Not in Har.
mony with the Platform on
Which He Was Elected.
IoT SCIENTIFICALLY DRAWN
1t Processes to Both Protection and
Anti-Protection.
NO NEED FOR HAsTY ACTION
Commission Will Report Accurate
Data in December.
IT'S RATES MAY BE TOO LOW
Measure of Protection is Much Les
Than Under Wilson Act Under
which the Wool Industry
Suffered.


WASHINGTON. Aug. 17.-Presidsnt TAFT
today carried out his threat to veto tho
wool tariff bill In special message to
the house OF representatives he character
ICED the measure as a blend OF an avowed
tariff for revenue and anti-protection meas
ure with professed protection bill.
In explanation of his course President
Taft said the bill was not in harmony with
the platform on which he was elected.
Furthermore. he declared that the Ameri-
can people are deeply impressed with the
conviction that the interests of the con-
suming public can be properly guarded
only by revising the tariff schedules one
at time and then ''on accurate and scien-
tifically acquired information"
That there s widespread belief that
many OF the rates in the wool schedule are
too high and In excess OF any needed pro-
lection for the wool grower and manufac-
turer Is admitted by President Tart, and
he says he shares this belief. Asserting
that December was the time fixed by both
the republican and democratic parties in
the last congress for the submission Of
adequate information on schedule X with
a view to its amendment the president
says there Is no public exigency requiring
revision in August without adequate in-
formation"
After promising that the tariff board
will be ready to report in December the
president argues that failure OF the present
bill should not be regarded therefore as
taking away the only chance for reduction
by this congress-
The message will be accepted as an in
dication that no tariff bill prepared In ad-
vance of report Of the tariff board on
| erI,a dttIa
president
Text of Message.
In his message President Taft said:
Il return without my approval house bill
No. u,O1s, with a statement Of my reasons
| for so doing.
Tho bill is an amendment of the existing
tariff law and readjusts the customs duties
| Is what is known as schedule K, embracing
wool and the manufacture of wool.
! II was elected to the presidency as a
| candidate OF a party which in its platform
| declared Its aim and purpose TO maintain
protective tariff by the imposition of
such duties as will equal the difference be-
tween the cost OF production at home and
abroad, together with a reasonable profit
to American Industries 1 have always re-
garded this language as fixing the proper
measure OF protection at the ascertained
| difference between the cost of production
at home and that abroad and have con-
| strued the reference to the profit of
! American industries as intended not to add
| new element to the measure stated or to
| exclude from the cost OF production abroad
| the element of a manufacturers or pro-
ducers' profit, but only to emphasize tho
Importance of including in the American
cost a manufacturers or producers profit
reasonable, according TO the American
| standard.
Why Extra Session Was Called.
| In accordance with q promise made in
the same platform, / called an extra ses-
| sion of the slxty-first congress, at which
a general revision Of the tariff was made
and adopted in the Payne bill. It was
| contended by those who opposed the Payne
| bill that the existing rates OF the Dingley
bill were excessive and that the rates
adopted in the revision statute were not
sufficiently reduced to conform to the
| promised measure
The great difficulty. however, in dis
eussing the new rates adopted was that
there was no means available by which
Impartial persons could determine what in
fact was the difference in cost of production
between the products of this country and
the same products abroad. The American
public became deeply impressed with the
conviction that, in order to secure a proper
revision OF the tariff in the future exact
Information as to the effect OF the new
rates must be had and that the evil OF log.
rolling or compromise between advocates
Of different protected industries in fixing
duties could be avterted and the interest OF
the consuming public could be properly
guarded, only by revising the tariff, one
| schedule at a time,
| Tariff BOARD Created.
| ITO help these reforms for the future, I
took advantage OF a clause in the Payne
tariff bill enabling me to create a tariff
board OF three members and directed them
to make a glossary and encyclopedia OF
terms used in tariff and secure information
as to the comparative cost OF production
Of dutiable articles under the tariff at
home and abroad"
Here the president quoted from his mes
sage of December 7, 1909 requesting money