Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1911-09-09

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It had been carefully prepared well In
advance, the action Of .congress, having
been expected. 1t IL an excssdingly
well-phrased message. lawyer like and
argumentative. From beginning to end
It takes the tone Of the wise and dis.
passionate teacher, correcting the whole
school. under circumstances where the
teachers mere statement IL conclusive
on Its race. The teachers dlsooursO
shows the scholars their inexp>rience
and their silly precipitancy. They are
put in fools' caps and exhibited for
their own best good. 1t Is as tho Il
were a problem in algebra. the teacher
knowing how to find the right answer
next December. but not in summer
vacation time. Congress is reminded
that II it will Just have the goodness
to wait until December. tariff board
I OF Mr.. Taft's appointment will give
congress all the information It could
possibly need to enable 1t to act intel
ligently about the wool schedule, the
cotton schedule. and several other
schedules. AS a matter Of admirable
phrasing, the message Is a model. It's
| tone Is perfect, as Is Its dialectical
method. But whether or not there IS
good ground for its assumptions Is left
wholly unsettled by the message. What
reason IS there to suppose that In eH-
actly three months from now several
J modest gentlemen, whose, names the
public does not know, working under
| the direction Of a republican adminis-
! trat;on, can aoed the whole complex
tariff situation with a brilliant Hum
| ination. 50 that everybody may see
| clearly that one thing rather than an
other thing is what ought to- be done?
Facts Versus Assunt ptions.;;s''
| The truth is. that congress in both
houses contains great many men who
| have some knowledge and understand
| ing Of the tariff. And at the present
| moment the country is dealing with
tariff policies as wen as with detailed
facts. The tariff board-in its some-
| what tedious, official way-can ana
Doubtless will give us useful informa-
ton about several Of the tariff sched-
'lles. But the fundamental facts upon
which general tariff opinions have been
| formed by republicans and democrats
will not this year be affected. unless
| in the smallest degree. by the statistics
! OF the tariff board. We know the diff
| ference between a mountain and val.
/ ley, even when we do not know within
a few feet the height OF the mountain
or the depth OF the depression. Mr..
| Taft's message proceeds upon the as
sumption that his tariff board can find
out the exact measure of difference be-
tween the cost Of things at home and
abroad, and can indicate further what
would be a proper differential to pro-
tect the higher wages of American
workmen and to allow profit on
American capital engaged in manu-
featuring. Undoubtedly a tariff board
can help to confirm the views already
| held by those who are we'll informed
| and impartial. But IL there anybody
who believes that as respects the wool
schedule, the cotton schedule, the iron
and steel schedule. the chemical .sched-
| ules, and several others, the tariff
boards reports will affect. the action OF
] the great democratic majority to the
extent of a single vote In the aiisnments
and coalitions of the present sens te
chamber: e.