Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-03-01
TAFT'S TARIFF PLAN
Submits to the People Issue
With His Opponents.
AGAINST HAPHAZARD WAYS
Wants Legislation Based on Ac-
curate Data.
OPPOSES OLD-TIME METHODS
Believes Public Interests Would
Benefit by Basing Schedules
OPPOSES 0LD-TIME METHODS

NEW YORK, March 1.-President Taft
has expressed his ideas in regard to tariff
legislation in an authorized interview in
the current issue of the Outlook. 1t Is
entitled Common Sense VS.. Haphazard
| Methods" The interview was obtained
by a special representative Of Tne Gut
look, and Is In part as follows:
Not that 1 wish to see the tariff ques-
ton made the mere foot ball of politics..
President Taft explained: I'VE have had
| too much of that already hut l
should like to have the people OF the
United states pass their deliberate
Judgment on the issue as II has been
made up within the last year-the dii-
| ference between the common-sense
way and the haphazard way OF max
believer in the republican policy of pro
| lection. l want to see it continued, put
7 also want to see our party strengthen
it by giving it an underpinning which can
| not be swept away by the iirst passing
| flood of popular sentiment.
And this purpose could be accom-
plished-how?" l asked.
| First. by fixing the rates at figures not
dictated by a group of domestic producers
| for their own enrichment. and granted IN
exchange for party support, but based on
| the difference between the cost OF pro-
| duction here and the cost of production
| abroad, ascertained by means which pre-
clude all doubt of the substantial ac-
curacy Of the calculation.
Second, by establishing on permanent
foundation the machinery for collecting
| the data Of cost so that 1t can be In con-
| tinuous operation, and its work ever more
| and more easily done. This machinery,
I need not tell you. should be In charge
of a tariff commission or board. CORE
| spending in a general way with the nom
| partisan tariff board we now have
| that the whole purpose of a tariff board
| is to collect material for a single tar1H
bill or series of bills; and. not unnatural
| ly, those who wish to.see the government
economically administered question the
wisdom of spending much money and
| employing so many experts for the prep
aration of the tariff legislation or l9l2, IN
| view Of the possibility that all this work
may be torn up and done over as soon as
| new set of hands take charge OF our
| public affairs. Now it is just such con-
| tingency that the tariff board 1s designed
| to avoid. The collection OF data to guide
| this years legislation Is only first STEP
From now on, If Congress consents to pro-
| long it's existence. the board will con-
tinue collecting data through the channels
| 1t has already opened, and with the ala
| Of men trained in their duties"
| After reviewing the work of the board
at considerable length the interview con-
| tinues:
ITO return to the broad question of
| tariff revision-you are not disheartened
| by what some critics say about the dan
ger Of keeping the country in perpetual
| ferment of nervous apprehension regard
| ing coming changes?'
Calming Effect on Business.
Nothing could do more to prevent such
| a ferment than the very plan We are
now considering. Hitherto we have seen
the whole tariff structure torn to pieces
and rebuilt whenever there has been
change of parties In control at Wash
| ington and even sometimes when the
| same party has remained responsible
| but the personnel of the group in conf
mand has changed. Such Overhaulings
are always accompanied by a more or
| less violent CONFUSION Of business, fol-
| lowed by q state of stagnatiOn protracted
| through the whole period while the out
come continues at all in doubt. The new
| bill is talked about for long time be
| fore 1t is framed there are extended
hearings in committee, and afterward
series of secret sessions behind barred
doors and debates at some length on the
| floors of Congress, and after all these
there is possible interval of ten days
| during which. if the bill Is suspected of
being distasteful to the President, its
fate at his hands remains uncertain. AT
| the committee hearings ex parte state
ments are presented by men pecuniarily
interested in the. several trades and in
duStries which are liable to be affected
by the proposed legislation. Everybody
with an ak to grind either brings 1t to
Congress himself or tries to influence that
body through an agent on the ground. In
every instance the length of time which
| has elapsed since the last revision and
| the changes of conditions in various lines
of production and commerce in the in
terval rouse a general dread lest there
| be heavy increases Of duty in one quar-
ter or deep cuts in another; and, unhap-
PLY, a feeling has widely prevailed that
the decision where to make such in
creases and cuts would be reached not
by a calm consideration of the merits of
each case, but by a log-rolling or back
scratching process.
,"Such unsystematic ways Of patching
tariff together open wide the ave-
nues for perjury and other fraud, for
special pleading, for appeals to the
most s0rdid political motives, for the
exercise of gross favoritism and the
wreaking Of petty revenges, and have
and investigation shadOwing the good
repute Of men high in the councils Of
the nation. Is it a pleasant reflection
that such an atmosphere is liable to
continue surrounding our tariff legis-
lation indefinitely?
Advantages of Substitute.
What have we to offer as substitute?
A system which keeps always at the dis
posal Of Congress, and open to the peo-
pie, a chart Of the worlds producing &C
Invites, corrected almost from day to
day. The changes noted in the foreign
cost of production of various commodities