The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1912-03-02
TAFT's SOUND POSITION.

There can be no rational disagree
ment with the position taken by Presi-
dent Taft in his New York interview
on tariff making. lie speaks under the
title common Sense VS.. Haphazard
Methods in tarid legislation. He
would make the cnactipg Of tariff laws
matter of business. not of politics.,
aud since tariff affects business chiefly.
and since politics is the great disturb
ing element both on tariff questions
aud IN business, there is no rational
escape from the force Of President
Taft 5 position. He wants the protec-
tive tanr cnactments and adjustments
TO he on the Straightforward business
basis OF making good TO American la
borcrs and manufacturers the difference
between the cost of production Of any
gwen article in the United states and
tho production of that article In TOR.
eicn countries. And in order 10 arrive
at the proper basis for such ADJUST.
mepts. expert inquiry is required, and
the collection Of data that will make
clear what that difference IL, so FAR as
the subject can he cleared. There arc,
Of course, elements of uncertainty ID
such computs tions and showln2s; but
the effort Of an intelligent tariff board
would he to reduce those elements OF
uncertainty 10 as small proportions as
possible. so that the results arrived at
aud declared would he substantially uu-
as-ailable.
We have all seen hon tariff laws arc
cuacted when politicians rely upon
themselves and not only do not call 10
expert knowledge, but take special
pa ms Ia avoid the use of such knowl'
edge. \ conspicuous instance OF thus
was shown in the Senate in 1919, when
the huuko revision Of the tariff law was
in process of accomplishment. ~ VIII
he remembered that our State Depart
nent had asked the German govern
mepf 10 furnish information as TO IN
duslris conditions IN Germany, me
cost of production Of various articles,
The WAGES paid. and IN general state
ment OF such economic factors as nee
csssrilv enter into the production OF
any given article subject to tarlh Inc
senate at that time, as will be recalled,
not only refused 10 use the information
so furnished by the German govern
meut. but undertook 10 make II aP'
near that Germany was intrusively and
ipsultincIv mcddling in American at
fairs By furnishing the information
which had been officially requested ny
our own State Department; aud so tar
from using the information thus fur-
nishcd. the Senate Committee pigeon
holcd il. and never allowed the same to
become public That was merely an
iusts nee of the, sort of tarlf making
wlech President Taft protests against
f. not only rejected information iur'
nisfcd. but contemptuously ly signiiied the
opinion that TO furnish Information on
labor questions and on the cost OF pro
duction was an. insult to the Senate
, Al inc same time, the Senate pro-
ceedcd TO hear "the interests. y Every
lace out of the imposition of the tariit
and TO rob the people by excessive
charges through the control oi inc
whole market which problbltiNe tarlh
would provide for him, FASTENED TO tue
Senate with the scheme he had IN nina,
and WAS gladly heard. All of the man
interests OF the country, the
cotlnu manufacturers. the wool manu-
facturcrS, the steel men. everybody who
wanted TO got special advantage out OF
the enactment Of the tariff, flocked TO
the Senate Fiuance Committee. present
ed their case. and obtained about what
they wanted The result was that AZ
soon as the bill was enacted, there was
the most extensive combine OF the cot
ton manufacturers and of the WOOL
that had ever been
known in the United States. They all
got together on mutual basis, formed
trusts and combines that arc still lu
existence. and thai enable these manu-
facturers TO fix the prices Of their
GOODS JI fHbi HlbuSlN luNdtCi ld'tS w
the American people and, on the other
hand. enable them TO import foreign la
Dor and grind the pay Of that labor
down 10 the lowest European stand
ards, as is seen in the conditions
against which the strikers in Lawrence,
Massachusetts, recently engaged III a
fierce strike
The contrast between that method
Of legislation and the method proposed
by President Taf, is the contrast be
tween the greed OF combined interests
to rob the American public and the
common.seusc. fair proposition to IN.
uuirc into the facts and learn every
thing possible about conditions, about
wages. and cost of production before
making the enactment.
The President is decidedly on the
right track in all this, and the Amerl-
can public will necessarily support him,
because the doctrine which he sets