East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1912-08-06
PLATFORM Will Be "CONTRACT"
WITH PEOPLE. SAYS ROOSEVELT
National Progressive Party Holds Itself Under OBJ
legation to Fulfill Promises
COLONEL SOUNDS KEYNOTE IN CHICAGO SPEECH
To Face Issues Of Day. He Declares and Not Evade Them
As Do Old Parties---Strikes Blow at Judiciary

therefore finally to make it, the acts
not above the final control OF the
people as a whole. / deny that the
American people have surrendered to
any set of men. no matter what their
position or their character, the final
right to determine those fundamental
questions upon which free self-gov-
ernment ultimately depends.
The Tariff.
IL believe in protective tariff, but
/ believe in it as a principle, ap-
preached from the standpoint of the
interests of the whole people, and
not as a bundle of preferences to be
given to favored individuals In my
opinion. the American people favor
the principle of a protective tariff,
but they desire such a tariff to be es-
tablished primarily in the interests of
the wage-worker and the consumer
The chief opposition to our tariff at
the present moment comes from the
general conviction that certain inter-
ests have been improperly favored by
over-protection. agree with this
view. The commercial and industrial
experience of this country has demon
strated the wisdom of the protective
policy, but 1t has also demonstrated
that~ In the application Of that policy
certain clearly recognized abuses have
developed. II is not merely the tar
iff that should be revised, but the
method of tariff-making and of tariff
administration. Wherever nowadays
an industry is to be protected it
should be on the theory that such
protection will serve to keep up the
wages and the standard of living of
the wage-worker i'm that industry with
full regard for the interest of the con-
sumer. To accomplish this the tar
iff to be levied should as nearly as
is scientifically possible approximate
the differential between the cost Of
production at home and abroad. This
differential is chiefly, if not wholly,
in labor cost. No duty should be per-
mitted to stand as regards any indus
try unless the workers receive their
full share of the benefits of that duty.
In other words there is no warrant
for protection unless legitimate
share of the benefits gets into the
pay envelope OF the wage-worker.
The practice of undertaking a gen.
eral revision of all the schedules at
one time and of securing information
as to conditions in the different in
dustries and as to rates of duty de-
sired chiefly from those engaged in
the industries, who themselves bene-
fit directly from the rates they pro-
pose, has been demonstrated to be
not only iniquitious but futile. 1t has
afforded opportunity for practically
all of the abuses which have crept
into our tariff making and our tariff
administration. The day of the log
rolling tariff must end. The progress
sive thought of the country has rec
ognized this fact for several years,
and the time has come when all gen.
uine progressives should insist upon
a thorough and radical change in
the method of tariff-making.
A Permanent Commission.
"The first step should be the cre-
alton of permanent commission of
non-partisan experts whose business
shall be to study scientifically all
phases of tariff-making and of tariff
effects. This commission should be
large enough to cover all the differ
ent and widely varying branches of
American industry 1t should have
ample powers to enable it to secure
exact and reliable information. 1t
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 ii should direct
ly consider the question as to what
any duty. costs the people in the price
of living 1t should examine into the
wages and conditions of labor and
life of the workmen in any industry
so as to insure our refusing protec.
ton to any industry unless the show
ing as regards the share labor re-
ceives therefrom is satisfactory. This
commission would be wholly differen
from the present unsatisfactory tariff
board, which was created under ;
provision of law which failed to Civ,
| IL tne powers indispensable III III wal
to do the work 1t should do.
LIT would be well for us to stud.
the experience of Germany in con
sfdering this question. The German
tariff commission has proved conclu
svely the efficiency and wisdom o
this method of handling tariff ques
tions. The reports of a permanent
expert, and non-partisan tariff com
mission would at once strike a mos
powerful blow against the chief in