The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1911-01-12


ISOLATION. The OBJ ~ xXy ts,si
ject Is To promote sNy<Er ~ i
tariff commission y i&DtI IN Il
legislation and 90 k X ~
bring II about a X,e<1{ "a
the present short I3<3A s1E ~<7<58
session OF congress
II possible.
With President Taft urging con
gress TO provide for a permanent tar
in commission; with congress, more
especially the house OF representatives.
seriously considering the passage OF
a bill on this subject; and with > ma
tlonal convention repr~senting (large
number of commercial b0ofes In SEES
sion for the purpose OF adding impetus
To the movement. 1t is safe 10 say
the question oil having permanent
tariff commission provided for by law
is more prominent In the United
States just at present than IL has
ever before been. President Taft in
his last message spoke out for tariff
commission and he will address the.
national convention at its banquet.
At tariff commission convention
held At Indianapolis in 1903, the need
OF strong and permanent tariff com
mission was emphasized and an ef-
fort was made TO impress this idea on
the country. A committee of one hun
dred was appointed to conduct an ag-
gressiye campaign This commit
tee finally resolved itself into the Ma
tional Tariff Commission association
The work of the association has been
in part educational. Ii has devoted
attention to the state conventions OF the
different parties and the result has
been that large number of such con-
ventions have endorsed the perman-
ent tariff commission idea. The Off
Gals OF the association maintain that
it was in a large measure due TO their
efforts that the present tariff board
was organized. Not only does the
association favor a commission, but
also action on one tarin schedule at
time.
The advocates of the tariff commits
sion take the position that a perman-
ent, non-partisan board. with powers
specifically enumerated by law, Is es.
sential to the proper adjustment OF
tariff schedules. The removal of the
tariff from politics. 1t is urged. will
be brought about II the country is pro-
vided with~a~tariff commission. The
great function OF such a commission,
as advocated by the National Tariff
Commission association, is to get at
the facts as TO the cost OF production
in this country and abroad in order
that tariff schedules may be adjusted
so as to measure this difference. The
believers In tariff commission as
sert they do not want such commits
sion or board to make recommends
tons but they do want the facts set
forth so that congress can have them
at it's disposal and adjust duties in the
light OF the information thus present
ed.
Support of the tariff commission
idea in congress and the country can
no longer be said to be partisan. The
commission plan has strong Republi-
can support and at the same time
many leading Republicans are OPP
posed to IT, And there Is also divi-
sion of opinion among Democrats.
Twenty-eight Republican state conven-
tons have in recent months endorsed
the tariff commission principle, fifteen
have endorsed revision by schedule,
twelve have kept silent, in eight there
has been no convention. and from one
there is no report. Most Of the Dem.
ocratic state conventions have made
no mention Of the subject, but In Cali
fornia and Utah the tariff commission
principle was endorsed. In three OF
the states, Minnesota, South Dakota
and Wisconsin, the tariff board has
been denounced by the Democrats as
subterfuge
hnt
president and leading members Of con-
gress have resulted in a strong dis
position to concentrate about bill
presented by Representative Long
worth, who Is a member of the ways
and means committee. This bill pro-
vides for a commission of five mem
bers, with terms OF six years. liberal
salaries, and ample powers to investi-
gate persons or papers and TO summon
witnesses under oath. II is generally
supposed a tariff commission bill will
be passed at this session OF congress.
1t is set down as foremost I'm the
presidents program OF legislation
which he wants enacted at this ses-
sion. While the indications now favor
legislation, II Is not to be forgotten
that short sessions OF congress arg
proverbial for achieving little in me
way OF important general legislation
and there are rocks In the path on
which the commission idea may STUN
BILE before March 4.
The constitution of the United States
says that all bills for raising revenue
shall originate in the house OF rep
resentatives. This means that no
other body can originate tariff bill.
Many argue that in view OF this pro
vision of the constitution and because
of the fact that the ways and means
committee OF the house really frames
and presents any tariff bill that is
acted on In the house, a tariff COM
mission Is a useless appendage of gov
eminent. They maintain that re-
CARELESS OF any facts a tariff commits.
zion may present II will nevertheless
be incumbent on the ways and means
committee TO obtain facts for itself
and present hill to the house based
on it's own investigation, not those of
any commission outside OF the house
OF representatives. Those who be
lieve I'm free trade quite naturally hold
that there should be no tariff AM
therefore no need for tariff commits
sion. Many protcct!on:sts think :b1t
tariff commission would tend 10 he %
the countrys tariff policy unsettled.
On the other band, Il is urged in
support OF tariff commission that