Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-04-09
Party's Duty Quickly
to Tighten Burden of
the People, He Adj
vises Congress on
Tariff Revision.

WASHINGTON, April S.-Presi
lent Wilson. after greeting the join
altering Of Senators and Congress
men assembled to hear him dellvs
lis first message in person, Launched
nto his recommendations on tn
arm. in which he said:
To the Senate and House of Rep
.sentatives:
I have called the Congress to-
gether in extraordinary session
because a duty was laid upon the
party now in power at the recent
elections which it ought to per-
form promptly. in order that the
burden carried 10y the people un-
der existing law may be light
ened az soon as possible and IN
order. also. that the business in
terests OF the country may not be
kept too long I'm suspense as to
what the fiscal changes are to be
70 which they will be required to
adjust themselves. X is clear to
the whole country that the tarih
duties must be altered They
must be changed to meet the rad
teal alteration IN the conditions
Of our economic life which the
country has witnessed within the
last generation. While the whole
face and method OF our industrial
and commercial life were being
changed beyond recognition the
tariff schedules have remained
what they were before the change
began. or have moved in the d.
rection they were given when no
large circumstance OF our indus
trial development was what il is
to-day. Our task Is 20 square
them with the actual facts. The
sooner that is done the sooner We
shall escape from suffering from
the facts and the sooner our men
of business will be free TO thrive
by the law OF nature Cthe nature
Of free buslnesD instead OF by
the law Of legislation and artii-
ciaI arrangement.
We have seen tariff legislation
wander very far afield in our day
very far. indeed from the field
in which our prosperity might
have had a normal growth and
stimulation No one who looks
the facts sQuareiy in the face %
Knows anything that lies beneath
the surface Of action can fail 10
perceive the principles upon
which recent tariff Legislation has
been based. We long ago passed
beyond the modes. notion Of pro
tectingr the industries o. the
country and moved boldly for
ward To the idea that they were
entitled 70 the direct patronage
OF the Government. For a long
time--a time so long that the
men now active in public policy
hardly remember the conditions
that preceded tive have sought
IN our tariff schedules to give
each group OF manufacturers or
producers what they themselves
thought that they needed I'm order
20 maintain a practically eXclu-
s.ye marke- as against the rest Of
the world Con sciously or uncou-
sciousIy. NE have built uy set or
privileges and exemptions from
competition behind which IT was
easy by any, even the c-u5es..
forms Of combination 10 organize
monopoly; until at last nothing Is
normal. nothing 10 obliged 20
stand the tests o. efficiency and
economy, in our world Of big
business. but everything thrives
by concerted arrangement. Only
new principles OF action VIII save
us from a final hard crystalliza-
ton of monopoly and a complete
loss Of the influences that quick
Ell enterprise and keep indepead-
ent energy alive
D. is pain what those principles
mus be We must abolish every
thing thai bears even tls sem
1ianes of privilege "r 81 any Kind