The Topeka state journal., 1911-09-28
MODERATE PROTECT1ONIsT.

Il
7 am moderate protectionist,' re-
marked President Taft in one Of his
speeches III Kansas the other day And
that represents the ideal attitude in
respect to tariff legislation. No one
will deny that the protective policy
adopted by the United States has been
the greatest of the agencies in the re-
markable development of the nation,
industrially and in every other way.
Even the Democrats have nothing to
say these days in the pressing of their
former tenet of absolute free trade.
None of the tariff bills passed by the
recent Democratic house of repre-
sentatives savored of being absolute
free trade measures. except perhaps
the imperfect measure which was
styled the farmers free list bill. But
that was merely tossed as a sop to
certain elements who were opposed to
the stand taken by the Democrats on
the Canadian reciprocity bill
Germany has taken the place as the
foremost industrial nation of Europe
during the past decade. and the Ger
man tariff law has helped materially
in the attainment of this supremacy.
England is the only nation that still
clings to any extent to the free trade
idea, and the industries of England are
stagnating. There is more dire poeer-
ty, there IS a larger army of the un-
employed in England today, than in
any other nation. To care for these
unfortunate hordes is the pressing
problem with Great Britain. And a
tremendous movement is under way
now in England for tariff reform. But
in this instance tariff reform concerns
the creation OF a protective tariff law.
All these are undeniable facts. They
point out the need for a reasonable
protective tariff for every nation, be-
cause the conditions Of production and
labor in each of them is different. and
they can only be equalized and made
reasonably remunerative by protective
tariff laws, unless equitable reciprocity
agreements can be made between
those nations which exchange on a
large scale each others products and
wares, and in which the conditions sur
rounding production and labor are
about the same.
And moderate protective tariff is
the one that ought to fill the bill for
every country. Assuredly the time FOR
such a law in the United States has
been ripe long since. From the crea-
ton of the first tariff law here the
general tendency has been, ex-
cept for occasional reverses. to make
the duties higher and higher Instead
of 4 moderate and reasonable protec-
ton many industries nave been given
an overprotection that has permitted
them to exact exorbitant prices for
their wares in home markets. while at
the same time, they sold them for less
in foreign markets where competition
had to be met. A tariff that will en-
III T.n
feasible. Nor does President Taft at
tempt to defend it, even when he
points out that the present tariff law
is a better law than the ones that !
have gone before it.
There is only one way to arrive at |
tariff schedules that will give reason
able and moderate protection to any |
and every industry. That's through |
searching Investigations by a tariff |
commission or tariff board of the con- |
ditions of production and labor in |
every other country with which the in |
dustries of this country would have to |
and an investigation of the |
same conditions at home here, so that |
adequate comparisons can be made |
and a protective schedule arranged &C
cordingly. Congress has not the time |
to make such Investigations. Presi- |
dent Taft mas a tariff board that is
working along these lines, and as a |
result of the labors of this board |
President Taft will undoubtedly make /
to the next sessi on /
of congress for a revision of certain |
of the tariff schedules downward to a |
moderately reasonable plane. Presi-
dent Taft has the right idea for a
proper revision of the tariff. His cour
age in demanding that it be given a |
fair test should challenge the admira-
ticn of every one.