The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1914-11-13
The Right Tariff.

country understand that what the
United States needs in an economic
sense. and also what will please the
electorate more than anything else. is
not a high tariff nor low tariff but
moderately protective tariff?
For long time. when the country
was in the infant industry state, n
high protective tariff answered the
purpose exactly. and nearly everybody
was delighted with 1t. But 1t was
found as the country grew more pros
porous that high tariff policy was
the breeder of jobs. scandals and in
EQUITIES; that 1t was apt to favor one
section of the country more than an
other and certain individuals in the
country more than others, and was pro-
ductive OF social unrest.
On the other hand. whenever low
tariff policy or anything approximate
ing free trade principle was tried
1t was found that this also was some
thing that would not work in land
where the standards of living and the
wages paid to laborng men were so
much in advance Of those in competi-
i've nations across the Atlantic.
To come down at leap from high
protective customs duties to almost NO
customs duties ut all brought on
host of difficulties. The Government
revenues fell short, and a high scale
If internal revenue duties, including
,exatlous and lnquistorial income
taxes. had to he substituted in their
this substitution was In itself ineffi-
Client. The new income taxes were
generally so clumslly drawn that they
we're either faulty from n legal point
OF view or that the amount OF money
derived from them was far less than 1t
was expected to be.
Many of our citizens remember the
legislative and economic cycle of this
sort that the country has traversed
since the days of Mr.. CLEvELAND's
second administration. Mr.. CLEVELAND
and his party came into power on a
wave Of popular revolt against a high
tariff. The work of revising the tariff
was done bungllngly, as was inevitable.
and the programme was to repair by
means OF an income tax the deficiency
in Government revenues that 1t was
known would take place. But the Su-
preme Court held that the income tax
law that was then enacted was uncon.
stitutional. Even II the law had been
left in force the volume of revenue
under 1t would not have made good
the loss in tariff revenue that had
been effected. Therefore the Treasury
found itself In difficulties, which were
practical operation the free silver ideas
championed by Mr.. BRYAN. Popular
disgust and Indignation became very
great, and the Democratic party was
hurled from power.
1t would he a great thing II peoples
memories were long. but the fact is
that they are very short. The country
Is now repeating in n considerable de-
gree its experience of the first half of
the last decade OF the nineteenth cen
fury The Republican party, learning
nothing from the past, as soon as 1t
was placed in power after the abolition
Of the very low tariffs favored by Mr..
CLEVELAND, tried upon the country
high tariff Of the Old sort. Once more
there was a revolt against high pro
lection, and once more 1t has been
found thar low tariffs as well as high
tnrns fail to answer the country's
needs. Once more mills have been
closed, dinner pals have been emptled
and Government revenues have been
unequal to Government expenditures.
All these phenomena were presented
before the war in Europe began to
o8Mplicate matters,
reasonable and proper mean be-
tween the two tarlff extremes Is what
Is wanted, n tarifr that will provide
the Government with sufficient revenue
without resort to n bothersome income
tax In times Of peace; a tariff NO ar
ranged AS really TO protect our indus