Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1911-09-26

variations it may, nevertheless. be &C
curate and just, and ought TO be, so that
the tariff can be adjusted to the facts
as they are rather than to the facts as
interested parties would state them. The
report of the board on the paper and
pulp industry was illuminating. 1t gave
the average cost Of production, with all
the elements showed how It differed
between the mills in the same country
and between the mills Of the two coun-
tries, and demonstrated that on the whole
the real average difference in the cost
Of production was measured by the diff
ference in the cost of the raw material
the pulp wood, in the two countries. II
Is such conclusion which, with the means
of securing them, the American people
have the right themselves to have, and
to insist that their representatives in
congress shall have, before making rad
ical changes in existing legislation.
/ do not contend that the tariff can
be taken out OF politics, in the sense
that 1t will never be made the subject
of political discussion. Men differ radi-
cally as to the economical wisdom of
q protective tariff, or tariff for rev.
enue only, and that must always be
the subject of political discussion. But
there is a means of taking the ascertain
ment Of facts away from a tribunal like
that of the ways and means committee.
which is necessarily hurried In its in
quiries and necessarily lacking in thor
oughness and the temper necessary TO
reach the most impartial conclusions. II
is possible to transfer those Investigations
heretofore made by the ways and means
and finance committees to a tribunal
which will make thorough and impair
tial inquiry. do not mean, to say that
the tariff board which I have appointed
Is constituted by the best method posi-
BILE. do not think It is. I think 1t
would be better to have ii appointed by
the president with the confirmation of
the senate. and TO make It independent
of the president and OF congress as far
as that may be possible under our sys-
TEN. I do say that the present board is
as independent as any board can be. but
admit that its method OF appointment
is such that conditions might arise hav-
ing a tendency to rob Il OF its Impair
tial character. Therefore, ventured,
with all the energy Of which 1 was ca
pable, the establishment OF permanent
tariff commission, and shall urge upon
congress, as long as it is my function
to do so, the establishment by law OF
such commission.
WORK OF COMMISSION.
But. meantime. congress has enabled
They have shown by the work already
done how thorough their future work
will be, and they have demonstrated by
what they have done that the material
which they viii place before the con-
gress and the executive In December
with reference to schedules X and L
that is, on woolens and on cottons-
will be Of q more valuable character
and one from which more valuable con-
illusions can be drawn than any report
of the kind ever submitted to any leg
islative body. Schedule K is the most
complicated schedule in the whole range
of schedules. Schedule /. a textile sched-
ule, is. except for the difficulty connect
ed 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 basis upon which
a proper reduction can be made In either
schedule, 1t will be my duty and my
pleasure to recommend to congress
such a reduction. Meantime, attacks
upon the board as one whose judgment
Is not worthy of consideration are born
not of candid consideration of their
previous work. not Of frank acknowi-
edgment of the ability of the various
members of the board to do work that
they are charged to do. but they come
from 1.-THE thoughtless heat of political
controversy. and ought to have no weight
with unbiased friends of the public veal.
I can not more ittingiy close these
remarks than by quoting the conclusion
of an impartial and competent commit
tee of the Tariff Commission associa-
ton after a full and personal investi-
cation Of the work of the tariff board.
as follows:
"In conclusion our committee finds that
the tariff board Is composed Of able. i'm
partial, and earnest men. who are de-
voting their energies unreservedly to the
work before them; that the staff has
been carefully selected for the work in
view, is efficiently organized and direct
ed and includes number of exception
ally competent technical experts;
that the work of the board, vast and in
tricate in detail. is already highly or
ganized. well systematized. and run
ming smoothly and that congress and
the people can now await the completion