Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1912-11-29
SPEAKER CLARK DECLARES
TARIFF GREATEST PROBLEM

Answering recent inquiry touch
ing the duty CT the party to the peo-
pie in reducing the tariff, Speaker
Clark says:
while l have no disposition to-
thrust my views on any subject upon
the public, it is my settled CONVICTION
that promises made to win an cleo
ton should be religiously carried out
after the election is won. Men should
say what they mean and mean what
they say, and they should speak the
plain language of the plain. people so
that all may understand. The voters
Of the land have right to be treat
ed honestly, candidly, fairly and cou-
rageously. They are entitled to that
square deal of which we hear SO
much and see so little.
"The Baltimore platform, the latest
authoritative Democratic pronounce:
ment on the subject Of the tariff, de-
clared in favor of tariff for revenue
only. So let it be. That was the
Democratic war cry all through the
campaign and all along the line. II
the men who made that platform did
not intend to revise the tariff TO a
revenue basis or as close thereto as
possible, they ought not to have so
written it.
Robert ]. Walkers report on the
tariff remains to this day the great
est paper on the subject. In it he
laid down this general principle:
1.-The highest rates should be on
luxuries; the Lowest or none at all on
the necessaries of life
That should be the basis of our
revision of the tariff to which we are
sc!emnly committed.
THE rates should be arranged so
as to produce the maximum Of reve-
nue., while taking from the ultimate
consumers the minimum Of money in
The shane of tariff taxes. That state
.ment may appear paradoxical, but
what it proposes is perfectly feasible.
There is a maximum revenue produc-
ing tariff rate on each particular
item, which should be ascertained'
The moment the rate on any article
goes above the maximum producing
rate, the revenue begins to fall of
and the more the rate is increased
the more the revenue dwindles until
it disappears entirely and the rate be
comes prOhibitive.
"Such is the case with blankets
nine feet long worth not over AZ
cents a pound, an article of prime ne
cessity, on which the compound spec
.fic and ad valorem tariff rates wher
reduced to ad valOrem, amount to
tax of between 165 and 1872 IL PEI
cent.
sWithout going into wearisome de
tails it is safe to say that three
, fourths of all the tariff rates of TIN
Payne-Aldrich-Smoot tariff bill ar
. above the maximum revenue produC
ing rates and should be reduced a
least to a competitive point. Tn
truth is that the words a competitive
tariff are more easily understoo
than the words "a tariff for revenu
only
"A competitive tariff is one whic
would give Americans the America
market so long as they sell for fai
pricas, but would let in foreign PR
ducts if Americans undertake to goug
Americans.
A competitive tariff would i
practice be "a tariff for revenue TIL
'orev9nue can be increased more fir
Quently by reducing rates than by il
cTeasing them.
"The present tariff, if thorough
overhau.ed, could be made to produC
a great deal more revenue and at II
same time not cost the taxpayers on
fourth of what they now pay, for III
der the present system where OIL
dollar goes into the federal treaSul
four or five dollars go into the poe
cts of the tariff barons.
THE rates in a new bill or ne