The Washington times., 1913-04-25
MORE HASTE, LESS SPEED,

an entirely inadequate opportunity for some Of the
people interested in the schedules to present their
views
The House hearings it must be borne in mind,
were held prior to March 4, and were held by the
Democratic members Of tine committee only. That
is, the hearings held before the actual change
of Administration had taken place; before the coun-
try knew at all definitely the Sort of tariff bill that
was in mind of the incoming parv's leaders
The decision of the Senate that there shall be no
hearings before the Finance Committee means, then
that this tariff law is to be framed and passed by an
Administration without any attention being given,
after that Administration came into control of the
Government to the vast business interests that will
be affected by the adjustment of duties and the
new fiscal policy.
1t is possible that there is some other country
in which legislation thus intimately affecting the
whole fabric of national industry enterprise, finance,
and general prosperity, might be handled in such
manner; it is doubtful, however
There complaint enough of the manner in
which the PayneA bill was prepared, especial
y at the Senate end, where prodgious mystery sur
rounded the Finance Committees hearings,
but at least there were hearings and a good
deal of time was given up to the effort to get
some illumination of the subject in hand. Yet
among the weightest counts in the indictment of
that measure, and Of the policy Of tarif-making
which it represented, tine fact that the measure
prepared in star chamber and altogether too
mucn on the basis of ex parte information. Nobody
criticised this very procedure bitterly than did
Democratic leaders. Some Republican or Progress
sive with ambition to make himself dsagreeable
might we'll 60 back to the series of speeches in which
Senator Daniel of Virginia excoriated the Aldrich
plan of handling the tariff in secret
Yet the utmost that can be said against the pro-
cedure of four years ago must finally admit that
hearings were held; that they lasted a long time
there were hearings in both houses. People inter-
ested we're given chance to be heard. volunni-
nous record was published When the bill came out
it was possible, by comparison of its provisions and
of tine statements in the House hearings to get some
idea of what was intended to be accomplished
through it.
. more undemocratic program than the Demo-
cratic of this year would be hard to conjure up
The men of business, the manufacturers, merchants,
exporters, importers; the people who have the first
interest in and the best information concerning the
vast range of affairs vitality affected by tariff re-
vision-all these practically excluded from con-
sideration. The town Of Washington today is filled
with men whose only offense is that they are in
business, bitterly bewaing the fact that they are
denied the opportunity to tell what they know about
their business, to the men whose action is going
to touch the operations Of that business clear down
to the quick
1t is impossible, despite the too frequent assur-
tat have been given publicity, quite believe
that all the business men of this country are male
factors and undesrables; that they are unworthy
of even the small measure of confidence that would
be indicated by letting them explain the circumstances
surrounding their own affairs
Nothing gets right down to the marrow of busi-
ness the motor and sensatory of practical
affairs as tariff revision does. Nothing needs more
to be done with knowledge temperatures and de-
liberation than this In the past complaint has been
that tariffs were made with too little understanding
of the conditions involved. That has been an es-
pecally effective Democratic criticism
And so it is proposed to meet this objection of
inadequate information by dispensing with all infor-
nation.
This years experience points more clearly than
any that has gone before, the necessity for tariff
commission; great permanent authoritative con-
fdence- commanding power-wielding establishment
which snail be all times in touch with trade and in
dustry which shall have the power, preferably, &C.
tualIy to fix rates of duty just as the Interstate
Commerce Commission has power to establish and
to change railroad rates.
Under such a commission, there would never
again be such calamity as general revision OF
the tariff General revision" is about as good for
business as trip over Niagara Falls would be for
the navy Revision, wnen needed, ought to be &C
compished item by item, through the tariff commits
sion applying its knowledge and making its con-
clusions meet the facts as ascertalned. The time
will come, and not very far hence, when that
elan will be adopted, simply because the political
powers will be compelled to eoncede it to the more
and more insistent demands Of the business CON-
munity.