Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1912-08-13

\
should have authority to examine
closely all correlated subjects, such
as the effect of any given duty on
the consumers of the article on
which the duty is levied; that is. it
should directly consider the ques-
ton as to what any duty costs the
people in the price of living. It
should examine into the wages and
conditions of labor and life of the
workmen in any industry, so as to
insure our refusing protection to
any industry unless the showing as
regards the share labor receives
therefrom is satisfactory.
This commission would be wholly
different from the present unsatis-
factory tariff board, which was
created under provision of law
which failed to give it the powers
indispensable if it was to do the
work it should do.
1t will be well for us to study
the experience of Germany in con-
sidering this question. The German
tariff commission has proved con-
clusively the efficiency and wisdom
of this method of handling tariff
questions. The reports of perma-
nent expert, and nonpartisan tariff
commission would at once strike a
most powerful blow against the chief
iniquity of the old log rolling meth
cd of tariff making.
One of the principal difficulties
with the old method has been that
lit was impossible for the public gem
orally, and especially for those mem
bers of congress not directly con-
nected with the committees hand
ling tariff bill, to secure anything
like adequate and impartial infor-
nation on the particular subjects
under consideration. The reports of
such a tariff commission would at
once correct this evil and furnish to
the general public full, complete,
and disinterested information on ev-
ery subject treated in tariff bill.
With such reports it would no
longer be possible to construct a
tariff bill in secret or to jam it
through either house of congress
without the fullest and most illum-
mating discussion. The path of the
tariff Joker" would be rendered in
fnitely dificult.
AS a further means Of disrupting
the old crooked, log rolling method
of tariff making, all future revisions
Of the tariff should be made schedule
by schedule as changing conditions
may require. Thus a great obstacle
will be thrown in the way OF the
trading of votes which has marked
so scandalously the enactment of ev-
cry tariff bill of recent years. The
tariff commission should render re-
| ports at the call of congress or of
either branch of congress and to the
president. Under the constitution
congress is the tariff making power.
1t should not be the purpose in Gre
ating a tariff commission to take
anything away from this power of
congress, but rather to afford a wise
means of giving to congress the wild
est and most scientific assistance
possible, and of furnishing it and
the public with the fullest disinter-
ested information. Only by this
means can the tariff be taken out Of
politics. The creation of such a per-
manent tariff commission and the
adoption of the policy of schedule
by schedule revision, will do more
to accomplish this highly desired
object than any other means yet
devised
The Democratic platform declares
for tariff for revenue only, assert
| ing that a protective tariff is nn-
constitutional. To say that pro-
tectiye tariff is unconstitutional as
the Democratic platform insists, is
only excusable on a theory of the
constitution which would make 1t
Unconstitutional to legislate in any
shape or way for the betterment of
social and Industrial conditions.
| The abolition OF the protective
l y
tariff or the substitution for 1t OF a
tariff for revenue only, as proposed
by the Democratic platform, would
plunge this country into the most
widespread industrial depression we
have yet seen, and this depression
would continue for an indefinite
period.
| There is no hope from the stand
| point of our people from action such
as the Democrats propose. The one
| and only chance to secure stable and
/ favorable business conditions in this
country, while at the same time
guaranteeing fair play to farmer,
consumer business man and wage