The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-09-22
DEFENDS VETOES
OF TARIFF BILLS

the Senate and House who put those
bills through Congress at the special
session; defended his own course in
vetoIng them, and declared that he
was unalterably opposed to revision OF
the tariff except upon information Sc
cured by thestariff board.
The Presidents Speech.
In his principal presentations the
President said
II am going to tell you in as simple
a way as can why vetoed the three
tariff bills which Congress submitted
to me for signature at the close of this
extra session. l called the session to
secure the enactment in law of the
Canadian reciprocity treaty. This was
done on July %. Thereafter the wool
bill. the free list bill and the cotton
bill were presented to me for signature,
and I returned them, without my ap-
prevail, and explained my reasons for
so doing in a special message on each
bill
II am not going to discuss the Payne
bill, except to Say that the controversy
over It's merits and dement's developed
a very strong sentiment among Repub-
licans, and, indeed, among many Demo-
Gratis. that bureau or commission or
board OF competent persons should be
constituted to make investigation into
the facts concerning the dutiable arti-
'cles in the tariff, and to report them
in such a way that Congress and the
public might be reliably advised OF the
probable effect of any proposed revis-
ion of the tariff in the future.
Opportunity for Bonrd.
The Payne bill offered an opportu-
nifty to me to appoint board of com
petent persons TO assist me in the adj
ministration of the revenue laws and
especially of the maximum and mini
mum clause of that act; and, the reves
nue. laws We're of sufficient latitude to
enable me to direct this board to make
a glossary of the. tariff terms and a
kind of encyclopedia which would fur
nish a guide to the understanding of
the tariff.
The Republican conventions of TWEEN
ty-eight States adopted resolutions
strongly advocating statutory tariff
commission, and deprecating any flu
ture revision until needed evidence had
been gathered and impartial conclu-
sions drawn as 70 the facts upon which
such revision could be properly made"
The President then quoted excerpts
from the resolutions adopted in New
York. Ohio, Wisconsin, Iowa and Kan
sas. Resuming his argument, Mr. Taft
said:
Upon the failure of the bill for q
statutory board, and TO make as good
substitute for the statutory tariff
soard as could. added two compe-
tent Democrats to the board. The
board consists OF two professors of
economics of the highest standing one
sf Yale, and one at the University of
Virginia, n former Assistant Secretary
of the Treasury In charge of the GUS
toms. the proprietor and editor of an
agricultural and stock raising news
paper-an authority on these subjects
and former Democratic Congress-
man of great ability and experience
from Georgia. Except the former
assistant secretary. who Is a Rcpubli
can, and the former Congressman, II
IL hard to say that the members have
any politics at all, certainly none
which will prevent impartial investiga-
ton and judgment
81 have gone over with care this
history of the movement for tariff
board in order TO show how fully COM
mitted am to ths proposition that we
ought not to have any revision OF a
schedule of the tariff without accurate
information as TO the operation and
effect of the proposed changer
Except for the extra session called
only TO pass upon the reciprocity bill,
the first time that the Sixty-second
Congress- could consider and pass. upon