The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1911-09-25

facts as they are rather than to the
facts az interested parties would state
them. The report of the board on the
paper and pulp industry was illumlna-
ting. 1t gave the average cost OF pro-
duction. with all the elements; showed
how II differed between the mills OF
the same country and between the
mills OF the two countries, and dem
onstrated that on the whole the real
average difference in the cost OF the
production was measured by the diff
ference in the cost Of the raw mater
lal, the pulp wood, in the two coun-
tries It is such conclusions whlch
with the means of securing them, the
American people have the right them
selves to have, and to insist that their
representatives in congress shall have
before making radical changes IN ex-
listing legislation.
A Way Out.
do not contend that the tariff can
be taken out Of politics, In the sense
that it never will be made the subject
of political discussion. Men difIer
radically as to the economical wisdom
Of a protective tariff, or tariff for
revenue only, and that must always
be the subject of political discussion.
But there Is means OF taking the
entertainment Of facts away from a
tribunal like that of the ways and
means committee, which Is necessar-
lily hurried In it's inquiries and neces-
sarily lacking in thoroughness and the
temper necessary to reach the most
impartial conclusions. 1t is possible
to transfer those Investigations here
tcifore made before the ways and
means and finance COMMITTEES to a
tribunal which will make a thorough
and impartial inquiry. do not mean
to say the tariff board which I have
appointed is constituted by the best
method possible. / do not think II Is.
think 1t would be better to have 1t
appointed by the president with the
confirmation of the senate, and to
make 1t independent OF the president,
and Of congress as far as may be pos
sible under our present system. / do
say that the present board is as In
dependent as any board can be, but /
admit that its method Of appointment
is such that conditions might arise
having a tendency to rob it of its inn
partial character. Therefore, ven
tured, with all the energy Of which l
was capable, the establishment OF a
permanent tariff commission, and I
shall urge upon the congress, as long
as 1t is my function to do so, the es-
adjustment by law Of such a commits
sion.
But, meantime, congress has enabled
me to organize the present commits
sion. They have shown by the work
already done how thorough their fu-
ture work win be, and they have DEM
onstrated by what they nave done
that the material which they will
place before the congress and the ex-
ecutive in December with reference to
schedules X and I--that is, on wool
ems and on cottons-will be Of a more
valuable character and one from
which more valuable conclusions can
be drawn than any report OF the kind
ever submitted to any legislative
body Schedule X Is the most COM
plicated schedule in the whole range
Of schedules. Schedule I, a textile
schedule. is, except for the difficulty
connected with the raw material in
schedule X, equally troublesome and
complicated and hard to understand,
When those reports shall have been
submitted, showing the difference in
the cost Of production abroad and in
this country of textile fabrics. and
giving q basis upon which a proper
reduction can be made in either sched-
ule, 1t viii be my duty and my pleas
ure to recommend to congress such
a reduction. Meantime. attacks upon
the board as one whose Judgment is
not worthy of consideration are born
not on candid consideration of
their previous work, not Of a frank ac-
acknowledgement Of the ability of the
various members of the board to do
work that they are charged to do. but
they come from the thoughtless heat
Of political controversy, and ought to
have no weight with unbiased friends
Of the public veal.
j can not more fittingly close these
remarks than by quoting the conclu-
sion of an impartial and competent
committee of the tariff commission as
ISOLATION after full and personal in
vestigation Of the work Of the tariff
board as follows:
TN conclusion our committee finds
that the traiff board is composed OF
able, impartial and earnest men, who
are devoting their energies unreserv-
edIy to the work before them; that the
staff has been carefully selected for
the work in view, is efficiently organ
tied and directed, and includes num-
Der Of exceptionally competent tech
nioal experts; that the work Of the
board, vast and intricate In detail, is
already highly organized, well sys-
tematized, and running smoothly; and
that congress and the people can now
await the completion Of that work
with entire confidence that it is pro-
crossing as rapidly as consistent with
proper thoroughness and that 1t will
amply Justify all the time and expense
It entails. We believe that the value
OF the work when completed win be so
great and so evident as to leave re-
manning no single doubt as to the ex-
pediency Of maintaining 1t as a per-
manent function Of the government
for the benefit of the neonle