New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-09-02
METHODS. NOT MEN.

The New York World tries to con-
fuse the issue raised by the Presidents
vetoes of the wool, Farmers Free LIST
and cotton bills by printing biographies
CT the members Of the Tariff Board and
then asking what they have ever done
Ito Justify Mr.. Taft's theory that they
"are more competent than Congress TO
revise the tariff" Our neighbor lg-
nores the vital point that the difference
between revision through the agency OF
a commission and revision direct by
Congress is one not of men but or meth
DDS. The country has tried the latter
nlan for many years and found that II
did not work satisfactorily, because the
revisers in Congress were unduIy 1nnu-
enced either by local interests bent on
twisting legislation to their own advan-
age or by the narrow considerations OF
party politics. Having tired OF seeing
tariff laws made in that manner the
country has turned with hopefulness TO
the experiment of having them made
for economic purposes, pure and sim
pie. 1t is not question who shall 90
the work, but which method shall be
followed in doing it.
Sneaker Clark anticipated THE
Worlds" query when he said the other
day:
Several members Of the House, in
cmding Mr. Underwood and myself, have
spent half lifetime studying and de-
hating he tariff. The service OF
some House and Senate members even
goes back to the Mckinley bill, the
Springer bills, the Mills bill and the
Morrison bills. Then why should we
wait for the verdict of the Presidents
board Of tariff non experts?
The answer to this disingenuous
plant is obvious. 1t Is not necessary to
compare the industry, knowledge and
capacity of Representatives and Sena-
tors who have helped to frame tariff
bills in the past with the like equip
ment of the members of the Tariff Board
now engaged in compiling data to he
used in tariff revision. But no one can
disnute that the Tariff Board IS doing
what no committee of Congress has
ever done in the way Of making an at
tempted revision Of the tariff fntelligi-
HE TO the voters No committee has
ever been able TO give to the public in
complete and digested form the data on
which II based its judgments as TO
rates. It was frankly admitted on both
sides at the time the Payne bill was
under consideration that Congress had
only er parte information to rely on, and
Lad to choose between one dubious
guess and another in raising or lower
ing duties.
The merit of the commission plan of
revision is that it furnishes both Con-
gress and the country with definite
standards Of measurement and permits
the voters to gauge the work done by
Representatives and Senators pledged
to carry out certain ideas Of tariff taxa
ton. A good method in the hands or
even a mediocre board would produce
far better results than bad method
ir the hands of statesmen admittedly
capable and labOrious. who have spent
half lifetime" debating the tarih
from the point Of view of politics. The
great utility of the Tariff Board idea
lies in the fact that its activities will
tend to compel Congress to modify an
antiuuated attitude toward tariff legis-
lation, will end fragrant log-rolling such
as the last session witnessed, and en-
courage the subordination of political
trading to rate making with rational
economic ends in view.