The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1911-09-21

/ nIdScU oDuTCt IHt ulltcTtHCc DotWeen
the costs of foreign and home pro-
duction, for this was the limit of pro-
lection which the moderate protec-
tionists among them and the last
party platform had set. They did not
wish to injure the important indus
tries of the country by taking away
from them the measure of protection
needed to enable them to live against
foreign competition, but they did in
tend in the next revision not to give
| them more than this
| OF course the Democrats recognized
no such measure of protection as just.
but many OF them contended that
such a commission was necessary to
| secure the facts upon which proper
tariff for revenue only could be franz
cd. The result was that by Repub-
| lican and Democratic votes, and
among the Republicans the o-called
| progressive or insurgent Republicans
were the most earnest in its support.
| a bill creating permanent tariff
board of five. to be appointed by the
| president, with power to summon wit
nesses and secure their evidence un-
der oath, was passed by the house.
No more than three members OF the
same political party could be appoint
| cd as members of the board. The
| investig ltlons to be undertaken and
the reports to be made were set out
| in the act and included as proper sub
ject matter the comparative costs OF
home and frelgn production. The
board was to report to the president
and to congress as either directed.
| The bill went to the senate and was
| there amended in few unimportant
| particulars, one requiring conhrma-
tion of the appointment of the mem
bers of the senate and another modl-
| flying In some respect the inquisitor-
ial powers of the board These
changes necessitated a return of the
| pill to the house for its concurrence
| in the amendments. A large majority
| favored concurrence, but a small MIN
ority was able to beat the bill by
Ihlibustering In the last hours of the
session. In the uncertainty as to the
passage of the bill, both houses had
provided $225,000 for me to continue
the tariff board then existing If the
bill for the other board failed of pas
sage. In this appropriation bill the
statutory tariff board, If established,
| was directed to investigate and re-
port upon schedule K on wool and
woolens by December 1, 1911 This
| direction was the result of an amend
ment offered by a Democratic sena-
| tor.
| Orders Board to Report Dec. 4.
Upon the failure of the bill for
statutory board, and in an earnest
effort to enable congress to act with
accurate knowledge on schedule X,
and, indeed, on schedule lon cotton
manufactures l issued an order to
the tariff board already appointed to
hcontinuc the necessary Investigations
of these schedules and to report upon
the same on December / next. In
/ order to make as good a substitute
| for the statutory tariff board as
could, 1 added two competent Demo-
Gratis to the board. The board con-
sists of two professors of economies
of the highest standing, one at Yale
and one at the Unlversity~sof Vir-
ginia, former assistant secretary
| of the treasury in charge of GUS.
toms, the proprietor and editor of an
| agricultural and stock raising news
1 PdPNi VII lntHt SuD-
jects-and q fromer Democratic con-
gressman of great ability and exper-
ence from Georgia. Except the form
| er assistant secretary, who is a Re-
publican and the former congress
man, VI is hard to say that the mem
| bers have any politics at all, certainly
none which will prevent impartial in
vestigation and judgment. They are
| to report on the glossary" and the
| facts as to the comparative cost of
| foreign and domestic production af-
| ter Investigations made by experts
| in their employ. They have eighty
| persons under them working hard
| to complete the work marked out for
| them.
Fully Committed to TariG Board.
L have gone over with care this
| history of the movement for tariff
board in order to show how fully
committed L am to the proposition
| that we ought not to have any re-
vision of schedule of the tariff
without accurate information as 10
| the operation and effect of the pro-
posed changes, and further to show
| that in this view l have had in the
past the hearty support not only of
the regular Republicans, but also,
and even with more emphasis, those
who call themselves progressive Re-
publicans.
Second. l also wish to point out
that all Republicans of whatever
shade are committed to the main
tenance of our protected industries to
the point OF retaining duties on i'm
ported articles which shall equal the
difference in the cost of production
at home and abroad.