The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1913-04-07
DEMANDS TARIFF
FOR REVENUE ONLY
Reform Club Urges Congress to
Stick Closely to Democratic
Platform.
CALLS PROTECTION FALLAcY
Believes High Duties Are Real
Handicap to Progressive
Business.
CALLS PROTECTION FALLAcY
Especial to The Times-pispatch. !

II.
New York. April 6.-The tariff re-
form committee OF the Reform Club
OF this city, has sent an open letter
to Congress on the proposed changes
In the tariff. In It's communication
the association explains that 1t repre-
sents no special interests and asks for
no special favors, and that for TWEEN
ty-fve years 1t has done what 1t could
to expose the fallacies of protection
and To break down the superstit tIon
that high tariff taxes produce pros
perity and lower tariff adversely and
panics. The letter goes on to say:
This country cannot, by tariff taxa
ton. encourage some industries with
out discouraging others. Unfortunate-
ly, protection encourages the naturally
weak and dependent industries and
discourages the naturally wrong and
independent ones. II diverts capital
and labor from whore they can pro-
Protection, therefore, means economic
waste"
Protection Antiprogressive.
Tho communication further declares
that protection is antiprogressive, and
great handicap to business, especial
~ railroads, and States. that the bene-
fits OF protection now go to compare
lively few. and largely to the great
trusts and monopolies that have been
formed to corral protection's profits.
The thousands Of ordinary manufac-
turers pay tribute when they buy their
materials from the protected trusts.
On behalf Of consumers in general,
as we'll as of the great majority of
producers who arc not, and necessarily
cannot be. protected by tarin duties.
this committee asks you to hew as
nearly as possible to the tarifr for reye-
nue. only line prescribed by the Demo-
cratic platform. If. as the Democrats
assert, protection is curse, the
sooner we get rid OF 1t the better Sion
this form of special privileges at once.
Income taxes are paid mainly by
the rich and well-to-do, while tariff
taxes are paid largely by the com
paratively poor. 1t is. therefore, not
unwise from tho standpoint OF econo-
mic justlce to substitute the direct In
come tax for the indirect tariff tax"
The committee suggests that the
chemical schedule may we'll be placed
upon an even lower level than that
which WAS assigned to It in the I'm
derwood bill
No attention. the committee thinks.
should be paid to the complaints of
certain manufacturers that thew are
injured by the fact that they must
pay small duties on their raw ma
terials. while protected to n umited
extent by the duties on Finished pro-
ducts.
IL ooes not see any reason why all
important Iron and steel products
should not promptly be put on the free
list because for the past fifteen years
they have been produced cheaper I'm
this country than they have in any
foreign country. as shown by the testi-
mony or many manufacturers before
Congress and the Industrial commits
sion. 1t is pointed out that this coun-
try now is exporting them at the rate
OF over $300.000.000 a year. these ex-
ports being sold not only in competi-
tive free trade markets, but even in
protected foreign markets Attention
is also called to the fact that nearly
all important iron and steel producers
have at nearly all times during the
past hfteen years been sold at lower
prioes for export than were charged In
the domestic trade.
The committee states that free lum-
ber la absolutely necessary both In
order to safeguard the forests of the
United States and In order to reduce
the exorbitnnt price OF building ma :
terialk 1t recommends that old
{Ccnttuued on THIRD pAR,a 49,