The Colville examiner. [volume] (Colville, Wash.) 1907-1948, 1915-12-11

SOA~
its congressional representative
received any attention worth
while in congress, and if Dill can
start with such record of dis
tinction over other new men, it
is evident that his caliber has
been already noted.
Mr.. Dill desired these particu-
lar committee assignments for
reasons directly connected with
matters in this district. He is
now able to deal at first hand with
the most important matters of ma
tional legislation which affect the
state of Washington. The devel-
opment Of our water powers, the
opening of our Indian lands, and
the irrigation of our fields, are
things which affect the pocket
book of every resident of eastern
Washington.
Other congressman have drawn
pay in this state for years, and
have never gotten anywhere on
these most important matters.
But Dill, a young man who is not
afraid of work, or of his job, or of
congress, or of his friend the presi-
dent, has at the first move placed
himself square in the saddle.
With this start, his constituents
have reason to expect results.
And the man who can get results
is the man wanted by this district.
The following article by former
senator George Turner of Spo-
kane, published in the Sunday
Spokesman-Review, is of such
value that it is given in full:
The advocates of a tariff COM
mission, endowed with power to
fix tariff rates, usually assume, and
no doubt many of them believe,
that such a commission can be
established by act Of congress.
Nothing is further from the fact
The tariff is a tax, and is laid
for the purpose of producing rev.
enue. That it operates by way
Of protection to American indus
tries is a mere incident of the tax
and not it's constitutional pur-
pose.
Section s, article / Of the consti-
tuition provides: "The congress
shall have power-to lay and col
lect taxes, duties, imports and ex-
cises, to pay the debts and provide
for the common defense and gen.
eral welfare of the United States;
but all duties, imports and ex-
cises shall be uniform throughout
the United States Section 7 of
the same article provides: "All
bills for raising revenue shall orig
mate in the house of representa-
tives; but the senate may propose
or concur with amendments as in
other bills"
Not even the senate may pro-
pose bills for raising revenue, but
that power is reserved to the house
of representatives, the popular
branch of congress and the i'm
mediate representative of the peo-
pie. This, in pursuance of prin-
ciple of representative govern
ment deemed essential to the lib
erty Of the people, and as old as
constitutional government IN the
mother country, that the people
ought to control the purse of the
nation.
1t will be seen, therefore, that
until our national constitution is
amended it would be impossible
for congress to create a tariff
commission and invest it with the
power to fix duties to be paid on
imported articles. 1t can create
an advisory commission with
power to investigate and report to
it for its Notwithstanding
that it has already done-but it
can not delegate to a commission
power which the constitution, for
a wise purpose, has reposed ex-
clusively in it.
This fact, however, does not
foreclose the argument for tariff