The Washington herald., 1911-01-10
MEANING OF TARIFF
COMMISSION MOVEMENT
Former Secretary of Navy Seeks Information.

the future. But insurgents only got thre
agents of the President with an appro
priation Of $4,000 to assist the Presiden
with such information as would aid hin
| and other officials in enforcing tariff
laws The President made the most o
that by appointing three eminent gentle
men and calling them a tariff board
Two of them went abroad, it was an
nounced, for information.
Popular sentiment, it soon became ap
parent. condemned the Payne -Aldricf
law. Then we have President Taft, in nj.
message Of December 1909 demanding
$4,000 for the tariff board. appending &
letter from Prof. Emery. chairman, pro
posing to employ high-class special ex
perts for special examinations" &c. How
all this was intended to strike the voters
in the election then close at hand. We
learn from that eminent Republican au.
thorfty. the Outlook, in its editorial OF
April is, 1910.
II the President should get his quar-
ter of a Million" the editor said. here
would be the working machinery for
another and more thorough tariff re-
vision" The President got, in the sun
dry civil bill. his $25O.ooo. Plainly here
was new ground for hope-reason why
the dissatisfied Republican voter should
not in the then coming election abandon
during the canvass came cheerful mes
sages; the tariff board was doing good
work. Not a word came qualifying the
hopeful outlook toward the tariff board
until the election had been over. say, two
weeks. Then a member Of the board.
name now forgotten, and Mr.. Andrew,
Assistant Secretary of the Treasury, both
spoke out on the same day, saying sub
stantially that the two favorable reports
that had gone out from time to time had
doubtless created ''an erroneous impress
sion as to the powers of the board" 1t
had not really sas much authority as an
internal revenue agent" and must be
given more power.
What more power to exercise its func-
tions in Europe could be given q COM
mission than had the two gentlemen who
have already been there? II they have
not during the past eighteen months,
with the ample funds on hand, acquired
information about 'the cost Of produc-
ton, in European countries. how much
time do they require and what are we to
look for In that direction from a new
law?
As to the cost Of production 1t home,
the President may be presumed to have
opened to the members Of the board all
the onicial sources Of information we
have-in the various bureaus Of statis-
tics. the books Of internal revenue and
customs oncers. and records Of customs
appraisers. &c.
L. 1t expected that doubtful powers
shall be given to the new commission,
powers that win result in litigation
through court after court and In delays
OF which no man can see the end? Shall
the commission have power to summon
witnesses. to examine books. and to hale
every reealcitrant witness before court
or before the present OF Il may be some
future. Congrees?
dorful political development" 1lr. San
ders spealn of. than Il certainly b not
what the people meant b. their ballces last
TAN. Such politieal downfall - that q
1A& 60vembte would n 0feat Britain.
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