The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-06-20
PATCHING THE PATCHWORK.

1t is evident that the patchwork re-
vision of the tariff which was pro-
posed in the House bill is seriously de-
fective, and the Senate now proposes
to put more patches On that patch
work. A "joker' is found in the
sugar schedule, (of all things!) which,
it is now held. would have increased
the duty upon sugar in place Of put
ting sugar upon the free list, as was
the evident intention; and SO in order
to eliminate this joker, the Senate is
to strike out in the candy provision
all words that refer to sugar. It ap-
pears that this joker is considered so
seriously that it has been put up to
President Wilson, and that he agrees
that it must be carefully looked into
Other amendments in the Senate, as
affecting meats, livestock, flour, and
grain, are to be made consistent, so far
as the bill itself is concerned, by put
ting meats and livestock on the same
basis, and flour and grains on the same
basis. Otherwise, there would be dis
elimination in the bill against Ameri-
can butchers and packers and against
American millers.
Another amendment restores the duty
on brandies that are used to "fortify'
wines. This clause in the former tariff
bill was put in for the benefit Of the
California and other American wine
makers, and the effect of it's repeal
- e
the United States,
Another amendment proposes to in
crease the duties on lead and zinc,
which is evidently proper. The House
bill puts the duties upon these metals
altogether too low, and in increasing
these duties the Senate is doing good
work for the American miners and for
the American users of these metals.
Another good proposition, but which
hardly seems likely to be adopted by
the senate, was introduced by Senator
Works of California, it aims to pro.
| vide for a tariff board of nine mem
| bers, not more than four Of whom shall
| belong to the same political party. A
tariff board so constituted would be of
| immense value to the country in the
service that it would render in the
elucidation of tariff questions, and in
reporting facts, figures, costs, estimates
and conclusions for the guidance of
| Congress. But Senator Works is not a
member Of the majority party, and it
is doubtful if his amendment can be
| ;.l o,o1 hn+h of
Congress have repeatedly shown an un-
wholesome antipathy towards the re-
ceipt of information Of any practical
kind upon the tariff question.
All of these amendments, most of
which are absolutely compulsory in or
der TO make working proposition out
Of the Wilson Underwood tariff bill,
go to support the contention that the
bill as passed by the House, was an il,
logical, unreasonable hodge-podge, in
consistent with itself and framed in
ignorance, not only in respect Of the
general workings Of the tariff, but in
the ignorance Of the details, and of
tho effect of the changes by the bill
1t is evident, therefore, that the bill,
even as amended, will afford many OPP
portunities for the Republican mem
bers to attack it and to prolong the
struggle against its passage
The thing that ought to be done is
to pass bipartisan tariff bill, with
the revisions which it carries, founded
on the conditions Of the country now
adjusted to general business, as that
business has been built up practically
| for the past sixty years. In other
words, just such bill as the Republi-
can Congress elected in 1908 ought to
| have passed at its extra session of