New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1916-09-05

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: In "The New York Times" Of Sunday
9th, Professor Irving Fisher. holding the
chair of economics at Yale, undertakes 70 set
forth reasons why he shall vote at the ensu-
ing election for the retention of Mr.. Wilson
in the Presidential chair. One realizes on
reading his article that at Yale economics no
longer need be termed the dismal science
as Professor Fisher discloses a capacity for
rising into the regions of imagination an
ability which should enable him to invest
figures, tabuations and even abstract specu-
lations with an unwonted charm. He sus-
poets the "old guard Republican, of course
of "lying low; Disgusting villanous pur-
poses in relation to the tariff under the guise
Of preparedness the tariff, an issue which the
party refused to recognize as a vital one
when it drafted the platform adopted at its
last convention. He foresees that the party
will make the tariff the great party question;
will reensct the Payne-Aldrich act if it has
the power, making it party issue, subordl-
mating all other issues to it. But ne is ar
IDENTIFY DESTROYS that the tariff be taken out
of politics, and he dreams that if President
Wilson should be retained in the white
House and the Democratic majority in both
houses were retained the realizing OF that
great desideratum would be reasonably GER
tain. And therein it seems to me the pro
fessor is reprehensbly forgetful, and on
such subjects surely a professor of economics
sbould remember the facts Of the history or
tho last three or four years. Being an
economist at Yale, he should not have for
rotten that his own associate there, PROBES
sor Taft. while President, made one of his
most determined fights in demanding non
partisan tariff commission; that he trl-
umphed. got Legislative authority to appoint
such a commission and an appropriation OF
$3.50 OOO TO defray its expenses; that he ap-
pointed such a commission with dstin-
guished Yale professor at the head OF II;
that that commission did laborious work and
presented a voluminous report, which was
available TO Congress; that his object was
TO have a scientifically competent commits
sion which should present needed facts on
which-as non-partisan matter-schedules
MIGHT he successfully modified and the tariff
act gradually amended in accordance with
correct data; that one purpose OF president
Taft was 10 take the tariff out Of politics-a
result which Professor Fisher himself pro-
fesses to desire.
But Professor Fisher will admit that while
President Wilson now as new discovery
processes appreciation Of such a commission
his marty. with its majority in Congress and
with his concurrence, decided that such
commission was not merely useless, but would
be obstructive of real Democratic ideals, and
purposes TO legisate on the subject as a
whole in accordance with Democratic prin-
ciples and on the basis that all protection
is unconstitutional. SO they starved the
commission out of existence and acted IN de-
6ance of all the statistics and facts 1t had
gathered; they were not restrained by any
thing il had reported, as either foreign or
domestic statistics; they legislated avowedly
along political lines, thus disclosing the
Democratic policy and purpose-to make the
tariff political question. Professor Fisher
should know all ths-it is common knowl-
edge: but he is so disordered in his thinking
and reasoning that in order to take the tariff
out OF politics he would leave future legis-
lation and administration to the party that
has avowedly made Of it question of pure
politics Is not this extraordinary for a man
supposed 10 have some skill as logician
Where else in economics can we find n
parallel? How would Adam Smith. Stuart
Mill, Thorold Rogers, Bonamy Price, Sum-
ner OF Yale; Dunbar or Taussig. OF lIar-
ward; Clark or Seligman, of Columbia any
economist Of Teputs-reGsrd such yaGaries2