The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-03-29
Roosevelt Declares in Favor Of
Permanent Commission to
Investigate Costs
is FOR SCIENTIFIC REVISION
Old Methods Of Revising Sched-
ules Unsatisfactory
In Address at Albert Lea, Mnn., he
Says Masses of People Should
Be Consi iderod.

Albert Lea, Mimi, March 29.-Theo-
dore Roosevelt delivered an address
here this afternoon on the tarn. His
train stopped az Albert Lea for BRIEF
period on It's way from Cedar Rapids TO
st. raul. Colonel Roosevelt spoke as
follows:
on September Bird 1910 / spoke as
follows on the tariff at Sioux Falls,
having gone over the speech most care
fully with my lamented friend, the lato
Senator Dolliver, whose ideas it eX-
pressed as well as MY own;-
Whenever men Just like ourselves
possibly not much better, but prob
ably not in the least worse-cOnun-
ually fail TO give Us the results we
have a right to expect from their ef-
forts, we may just rs well make up
our minds that the fault lies, not in
their personalities. but in the condl-
tions under which they work. and
profit comes, not from denouncing
them, but from seeing that the cCndi-
tions are changed. This is especially
clusvely shown, by experiments re-
peated again and again, that the meth
DDS OF tariff making by Congress,
which have now obtained fer so many
years, cannot. from the very nature OF
the case bring really satisfactory re-
suits. With the present tariff, made
by the same methods as it's predeces
sor ana as that predecessors predeces-
sor, there is grave dissatisfaction. The
people know that there are some
things in 1t which are not right, and
therefore they tend to suspect the. as
/ think. Thore numerous things in It
which are right They know that the
system on which il was made, the
same system on which it's predecessors
were made, encourages a scramble of
selfish interests. TO which the ail-im-
portant general interest of the public
is necessarily more or less subordin-
ate. There was a time when this
scramble was regarded as the natural
course in tariff making. and was not
resented. The people demand, and
rightly, that the profit of the special
interests shall be subordinated TO the
general welfare in every case.
Must Change the Methods.
1t is this attitude--practically n new
attitude-of the people which must be
met in dealing with the present tariff
and with proposals to amend the pres
ent tariff Very little improvements.
indeed will follow any attempt to re-
wise the tariff by methods hitherto
used The thing to do is to change the
methods, / believe that this country Is
fully committed to the principle of
protection; but. it is to protection as
a principle; to protection primarily in
the interest Of the standard Of living
of the American workingman. / be-
levc that when protection becomes not
a principle but "a privilege and pre-
fcrencc-or, rather jumble of priNi-
lcges and prefercnces-the the Amer
| lean people disapprovc of IT, Now to
correct the trouble it is necessary in
( the first place to get i'm mind what we
want. and, i'm the next place, TO get IN
mind clearly the method by which we
/ hope to obtain what we want-what
we want is what | have already said
square deal in the tariff as in every
thing else; square deal for the
wage Garner; q square deal for the en-
ployer, and a square deal for the gen
cra public. To obtain IT, we must
have a thoroughly efficient and we'll
equipped tariff commission.
Must Benefit the Masses.
The tariff ought to be "A material
issue. and not moral issue; but II,
instead of a square deal, we get a
| crooked deal, then it becomes very
emphatically a moral issue. What We
desire. when ! say we | am speaking
of the American people-in tariff is
such a measure of protection as VIII
coualizc the cost of production here
and abroad and as the cost OF pro-
duction is principally labor cost this
means primarily a tariff sufficient to
make up for the difference I'm labor
cost here aud abroad. The American
public wants the American laborins
man put on an equality with other cit
izcns. so that he shall have the ability
TO achieve the American standard OF
living and the capacity to enjoy; and
fo do this. we must see that his wages
are not lowered by improper compeu'
ton with inferior wage workers abroad
with wage workers who are paid
poorly and who live as no Americans
are willing to live But tho American
public does not wish to see the tariff
so arranged rs to benefit primarily a
few wealthy men.
Favors Tariff Commission.
As means toward the attainment
NJ the end in view. we have as yet de-
vised nothing in any way 50 cffectiv'
as a tarin commission. There shouls
he a commission of well paid experts
(COntinued on paaN1