The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1912-01-05
PRESIDENT TAFT AND THE
TARIFF BOARD REPORT.

go
u, The President transmitted to Congress
eilast week the report of his Tariff Board,
i,but sent to Congress no message on the
|nTeport, although the importance of the
Feneport, and the still greater importance
pa of the tariff question, would seem to any
IS intelligent and thinking man. that it was
AS[he most pressing thing before the people
klpon which a message could be written.
When the President vetoed the tariff
pills that were passed by Congress at its
= asst session, he based all of his vetoes
\ upon the one ground that the Tariff
In Board had not made a report on the
lc inject of the tariff bills which had been
Nbassed by the two Houses Of Congress,
4 md that the report of that board would
ny rive the people of the country full infor
nation on the subject, and thus enable
+ Congress to reduce the tariff schedules
yith full knowledge of the subject and
n scientific principles.
At the time that Mr.. Taft made these
Flo:atements in his veto message. it was
Sutell known and publicly stated in both
louses of Congress that nothing was
could be expected from the Tar IF
|oard that the members of Congress did
)t know, and know much better than
n ye present Tariff Board, and better
ar;H h..
aEIpinted. And it must be fact that the
Lays and Means Committee of the
ouse of Representatives and the FL
ince Committee of the Senate, whose
sineSs it is to prepare the tariff bills,
which committees are always COM
'ed of the ablest men in both the
l5use of Representatives and the Sen
9 A know more about the subject of the
iverff than any outside board can ever
Thiow.
ie he fact that the Tariff Board had
o1A reported was used by the President
he reason why he vetoed the bills re-
-, ing the tariff
~ he President did not say in a single !
n OF these veto messages thar the bills |
ngee vicious or even improper, nor even
has the schedule ought not to have been
sht ced. The truth of the whole matter
lea nat the bills were vetoed because the
',>SestS that controlled the Republican
and Mr. Taft personally were OPP
,b, d to any reduction of the tariff SEIZED,
Tin and the President simply used the
chicP OF the Tariff Boards report as a
ilds xt to veto these most important
Yooures in the interests Of the people,
ne nltfy the special interests that for so
m have dominated the Republican
y y and the Republican Presidents,
saojo they have crushed and robbed the
If In masses Of the plain people to their
$ content.
the Tariff Board has at last re-
Rid-Se1. They report that the tariff is
appeg prohbitive measure as to many
one schedules and gives lot of figures,
3nce fully sustain the bills formulated
U hassed by the late Democratic House
nj oresenthives. which the President
How.
fl report Of the board shows that
OF soi the schedules in all proba-
nes contained nothing strange or
ds, dor it has been known for years
70" '1rly all OF the tariff schedules were
tory, in fact the Republicans in
the tariff bills stated in Congress
y were intended to be prohib-
%oet they were intended to be for
Oh. N. per Sc, and not meant to be
OF tn pseasures-that they levied
~ OF protection, per Sc, and not
holes for revenue. Yet in face of
III known facts. the President
and defeated the most just de-
IF the suffering people for relief
he had promised 10 favor re-
of the tariff before his election,
blicly declaring after he signed
Phne-Aldrich Tariff Bill that the
schedule and several others were
too high. But the people can
ct the President nor the Repub-
pgress TO reduce the tariff, be-
th are tied hand and foot bv 4,
Eal interests, which are fattening {
wing richer and richer on the v
that they enjoy to tax the peoS,
they please and what they =
BY virtue Of the protected tariff IA