The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1912-03-07
COMMON SENSE METHODS
NREVISION OF THE T ARIFF

opinion on the question which Of
these pictures makes the pleasanter
impression on the mind, and which
presents our Institutions Of self-goy-
eminent in the MORE dignifed aspect
AS 1t was, neither Congress nor the
American public had the first-hand
knowledge needed for the proper per-
Torrance of its part; Congress, to
enable it to frame bill most respon-
siVe to the demands of the platform;
or the people, to criticise justly an &C.
which Congress had evolved with
such poverty of equipment for the
task"
Put, you are aware that good
many protectionists object on pruden-
tial grounds to the sort of tariff you
have set up for your ideaI?"
u am not unmindful Of the argu-
ment made by some, timorous critics,
that the effect of reducing our tariff to
what they call the competitive basis
will be that it will really drop below
that, and cause our markets to be
flooded with cheaply made foreign
goods. SO that our producers VIII be.
driven out bf business by insufficient:
protection. Well there are two ans
wers to that. The first is that the
platform whose promises we are+-try-
a, 4, 8 ~ e,IAf1 dshstz ,,L4 s....I..k -,
such a cut In rates as would cripple
any American Industry 1t takes ac-
cotnt of the right of the American
producer to a reasonable profit. The
difference between the foreign pro-
drcer's figures and those Of the Amer
lean producer, which want to see
used as the measure of protection for
the American, is the difference be.
tween what each expects to get for
HIS goods, allowing for a fair COM
petitlve profit for himself I have
already said this in another form, but
1t will bear repeating. as it is a point
on which SO many people speak APP
parently without understanding, or
at least without consideration.
3t'Phe second answer is that Con-
gressois never so Indifferent to the
will or the welfare of OUR people as
to cut to the sufck in such matters.
We are tassfar from the bald ideal or
free trade hs from that Of the Chinese
wall Each has had its day and gone
It's way: tits everywhere recognized
now'tthat the foreigner Is not going
to be turned loose on our markets.
His only function is that Of a restrain-
ing iniiuence! We consider whatah
might do If we let him have his way,
in ofdersto keep the demands of our
manufacturers for protection down
within bounds which will be just to
the consuming public as we'll as to
Ithemselves'c slat& 49, ti.fs
DOUBTLESS you are still hearing
! echoes of the criticism called forth
by your action on the wool and wooden
tarift-committing yourself tofa re-
duction, and then vetoing the Arst
bin which offered you a substantial
oneg
1 Certainly, hear them; but they
only make me wonder how their
authors can become SO absorbed in
one phase of subject as to lose all
sight of another equally important
eussion. You remember, OF course.
\ the grounds on which / vetoed that
wool and wooden tariff bill, knocked
together as 1t was with a,few blows
\ Of the ak and mallet. instead OF being
laid OF with measuring instruments
and adjusted with fine tools as II
ought to have been? l frankly said
that was unwilling to sign such d
+ bill on insufficient knowledge, when
By waiting a few months we should
have before us all the material gath
cred by the tariff board, and could
I proceed with our eyes open. They
declared that it was almost a crime
to walt for the report of the tarin
board; for here was winter coming
on, and the people would soon be
shiyering with cold, but unable to buy
warm clothes because they cost 80
much under the enormous duties of
Schedule X; yet here was standing
heartlessly all alone, in the way OF
. reduction in prlce-and SO forth,
, and SO forth.
What happened? The tariff board
brought in Its report, which sent to
Congress at once, SO that they. could
get to work on wool and wooden
} bill Up to date this has not been
forthcoming They have switched
r their attention to another schedule,
} and brought in bill to reduce the
!, steel tariff, in which the Payne Act
} had already made some radical cuts.