Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-04-08
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
OF Senators and Congress
men assembled 10 hear him delive
lis first message in person, launche,
nto his recommendations on th
arin, in which he said:
To the Senate and House Of Rep
sentatives:
/ have called the Congress to-
Eether in extraordinary session
because 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 by the people un-
der existing law may be light
ened as soon as possible and in
order. also. that the business in
terests OF the country may not be
kept too long in suspense as to
what the fiscal changes are TO be
to which they win be required TO
adjust themselves. II is clear TO
the whole country that the tariff
duties must be altered They
must be changed 70 meet the rad
ical alteration in the conditions
OF cur economic life which the
country has witnessed within the
last generation. While the whole
face and method OF our industrial
and commercial life We're being
changed beyond recognition the
tariff schedules have remained
what they were before the change
began. or have moved in the d.
rection they We're given when no
large circumstance Of our indus
trial development was what II IS
to-day. our task is 10 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 viii be free 10 thrive
bv the law Of nature (the nature
of free businessl instead Of by
the law Of legislation and artif-
cial arrangement
We have seen tariff legislation
wander very far aheld in our day
very far, indeed. from the field
IN which our prosperity might
have had a normal growth and
stimulation No one vino looks
the facts squarely in the face or
knows anything that lies beneath
the surface Of action can fail to
perceive the principles upon
which recent tariff legislation has
been based. We long ago passed
beyond the modest notion Of pro
tectiug' the Industries OF the
country and moved boldly for
ward TO the idea that they were
entitled To- the direct patronage
Of the Government. For 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 70 give
cacn group OF manufacturers or
producers what they themselves
thought tr3t they needed I'm order
20 maintain a practically eXclu-
sive market as against tine rest OF
the world. Consciously or uncOn-
sciously. we have built up a set OF
privileges and exemptions from
competition behind which il was
easy by any even the crudesj.
forms Of combination TO organize
monopoly. until st last nothing is
normal. nothing is obliged 10
stand the tests Of efficiency and
economy. in our world of big
business. but every thing thrives
by concerted arrangement only
new principles OF action will save
as from a final hard crystalliza-
ton Of monopoly and a complete
loss Of the influences that quick
en- enterprise and keep indepead-
snt energy alive.
II is plain what those principles
must be We must abolish every
thing that bears even the sem
bIance OF privilege or OF any kind
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