The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-03-29
ROOSEVELT
DISCUSSED
The TARIFF
Contlnusd Fron Page one.
sec the tariff so arranged as to benefit
primarily a few wealthy men.
Commission of Experts,

4 ~SbhfWaSSiVH Vt @%PGt hSs .r
GAS a means toward the attainment
Of the end in view, we nave as yet de-
vised nothing in any way SO effective
as a tariff commission. There should
be a commission 4. Hell-paid experts;
men who should not represent any
special interest or Industry; who
should be masters of their subjects;
men of the very highest character, who
should approach the matter with abb
solute disregard of every outside con-
sideration. ] do not want to see these
men Of n party or another or of one
trade or another; but experts, single
minded in finding out and telling, the
truth. These men should take up in
succession each subject with which
the tariff deals and investigate the
conditions Of production here and
abroad; they. should find out the facts
and not merely accept the statements
as to the facts of interested parties;
and they should report to congress on
each subject as soon as the subject
has been covered. Then, action can be
taken at once on the particular sched-
ule concerned, while the commission
Immediately proceeds to investigate
another. BY these means log-rolling
would be avoided, and each subject
treated on its merits, while there
would be no such shock to general in
dustry, as is implied in the present
custom Of making sweeping changes
in the whole tariff at once. Finally,
it should be the duty of some govern
mental department or bureau to in
vestigate the conditions in the various
protected industries, and see that the
laborers really are getting the benefit
Of the tariff supposed to be enacted
in their interest. And if, from an in
vestigation of certain industry, it ap-
pears that the tariff, supposed to be
imposed for the benefit of the wage
worker, results in such shape that the
benefit does not reach him.. the tariff
On that industry should be taken off.
Moreover, to secure good treatment
abroad, we Should keep the miximum
and minimum provision.
There is but little to add to what 1
have thus said, we believe this country
is committed to the principle of the
protective tariff, treated honestly as a
principle and not as a bundle of pref
erences, so that the benefits and bur-
dens may be fairly and evenly dis
trihuted, and special privilege elimin-
ated- We do not believe in any I'M
W arranted profit for anybody, but we
do believe in a standard of protec-
ton adequate to maintain, the high
standard of living of American citi-
zens The prime need in n future
revision of the schedule, or in any
future arrangement whatsoever affect
ing the tariff is to protect the inter-
est of the farmer and the wage work.
err. There must be no alteration of
the tariff which compeIs the farmer to
bear the burden, The welfare of the
man who lives by tilling the soil is
everything that can strengthen him in
his social and industrial life should
be done. The American farmer is
willing to bear his fair share of what
ever is done, but he. must not be
asked to do more. In any manufac-
turing or mining or similar interest
the welfare of the wageworker should
be the prime test of the working of
the tariff. We wish to see prosper
ity come to all our great industries,
but unless the prosperity gets down
past the office, then it is not the right
kind Of prosperity; in other words,
while the ~wageworker is glad to have
the employer get his full share of the
prosperity, yet in return the wage
worker has the right to insist, and
we insist for him, that a fair share
of the prosperity gets down past the
office to be distributed. amopg the men
who work with their hands" .