The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-07-28
COMMENT ON THE DEBATE.

now with those IN the first year OF
the Cleveland administration VIC
stated that such cxaggerations and
such stale inconsistencies amounted 10
nothing at the present time as a live
discussion Of the tariff question, and
especially of this particular tariff bill.
We find that there is a disposition in
the Eastern newspapers TO agree with
The Tribune on this matter, and also
10 poke fun AT the Utah apostle. The
New York Evening Post, for example,
treats the Smoot speech and other
speeches in the following vein Of ironi-
cal humor:
Tho tarifr debate promises diversion FOR
n heat-oppressed people. Senator SmooL
| for instance, IS now convinced that there
| has been = lobby ip Washington on behalf
NJ forei-n manuta cturers such aa never
was seen before IN our history. and thcv
! have got even more than they asked for. %
/ But he can mention only the Italian
| Chamber OF Commerce "a New York; and
rs he draws picture of mills shut down.
| wOrkinEmen unemployed and Investors
| ruined b. competition IN wool. pig-iron.
sugar. and steel, his attack loses coher-
ence- The sheep on the Fiesolc hills are
more important 10 poetry. and painting
than 20 the wool trade. while mountain
! GUS Calabril's chief contribution 10 tho
steel market Is the laborers that make
Gary aud Pittsburgh possible. Senator
S.npot might better defend those -four
ishins American industries, the quarry
| Ing OF Carrara marble and the making OF
Psrmesan cheese. But there arc other
evidences that consistency, "hobrohlin OF
uttle minds" is being driven from tho
protoctionist side OF tho Senate Seua tor
Cummins had lust declared that tho tar
in was an outrageous discrimination by
the South against tho Western farmer.
when Senator Burton set ont 20 prove
that n did imn eaSurahle injury 10 all in
dus,ries beyond the Mason and Dixon
line.
The Philadelphia Record is also
little impatient st the baTrenness Of
ideas and the staleness OF the discus
sion on the part Of Republican Sena.
tors, and, without especially blaming
Smoot. has the following general e1
preston upon the utterances Of Re
publican Senators;
There Is absolutely nothing IN The Pro
tect'onist rantings o. tho Republican SEN
times Cand said hctterl during tho past
forty years Of tariff debating. What
would be 10 the point Is an explanation
why American steel nd iron products
cotton cloths. leather goods meat grain
and other farm products need protection
when they are sold In all the free mar
kets or the world in competition with
those OF all other countries Tho Chinese
and Japanese perils loom up terribly IN
debate but they have no terrors for
American locomotive builders and rail-
makers when they send their wares TO
China and Japan. The Protectionist ey-
oIans ton of these phenomena would be
interesting. but We don't get H. The Re-
publican Senators persist IN fhrashlng
old straw AS " VIC did not have sur
ieit Or this sort or campaign literature
and the ProEreSsives are quite as hope
lessiy out OF date.
An Of which is very much in the line
that The Tribune marked out originally
in its comment upon Smoot's speech.
We should he glad indeed 70 see Re
publican Senators, get M 10 date in
their opposition to the Democratic tar.
iff bill and show forth the protective
idea. We should like'to see thcm illus
tratc wildly at,protectiou has done
for the people Of the United States,
not alone in their manufactures, but
In their agricultural and every form
n industry. The great trouble of the
whole matter is that members Of Con.
gress, and especially Senators, have
been extremely 10th TO get any real
information about the tariff. about the
cost Of production, or about any Of
the realities that ought 10 enter into
tariff discussion. When four wears ago
the German government, in courteous
compliance with the request Of our
state Department. furnished n state.
ment of cost in Germany Of various
articles, Of wages, etc, the Senator'S
resented the furnishing OF these facts
as an attempt on the part of the Ger
man government 20 influence tariff leg
'slation in the United States. It war
one Of tho most discourteous and hu.
initiating incidents that ever arose in
Congress TO have the Senators take
the view that they did upon the cour.
tcsv Of the German government in COM
plying with the request Of our Secre-
tary OF State. But it was merely
typical incident. showing the resent
ment Of Senators against any one or
any source that undertakes "a supply
needed information on the tariff cues
tion, and on the industries and cost Of
production that enter into the discus
sion of that question.
Il is admitted on all hands that
actual knowledge OF this sort Is what
is needed more than anything else in
the framing of tariff bills But Scna-
tors assume that they know it all, and
resent any effort to give them informa.
iion, on the basis that they need no
information. Bot whenever any oucs.
tiou comes up of real practical import
anee. IL is found every time that tho
Senators are absolutely lacking in def.
mite information on the specific points
raised
IL is not surprising, therefore. that
the Republican debate upon this tariff
bill Is so barren upou anything instruc-
tive or worthy OF the occasion. That
debate goes fsr back. as Smoot sought
20 bring Il. 20 the conditions under
Cleveland. which arc altogether differ
cnt from the conditions now; and the
speeches, as stated by the Record. arc
80 much thrashing ont Of old straw.