The Monticellonian., 1916-04-20
FOR TARIFF BOARD
WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE
GIVES SANCTION TO THE
RAINEY BILL.
PLAN TO ELIMINATE POLITICS
Intention of Measure Is to Keep the
Tariff Out of Party Strife-Studies
of Commission Intended to Be of
Profit to Congress.
BY GEORGE CLINTON.

Dill, having the sanction of the ma
jority of the ways and means commit
tee, has been introduced into congress
and it is a safe prediction that it will
be passed because it is known vir-
tually definitely that majority of the
members of both houses will support
1t. The bill was drawn by Represent
alive Rainey Of Illinois.
President Wilson recently announced
that he was In favor of the passage
by the present congress of a bill Gre
ating a tariff commission. The meas
ure in its present form provides for a
commission of six members with sal
aries of $4,000 a year each and it is
especially provided that not more
than three members shall belong to
the same political party.
In a statement made by the Trainer
of the bill, and authorized by the ma
jority of the ways and means commit
tee, the following appears;
This would mean three Democrats
and three Republicans. From the po-
litical standpoint, the membership of
the committee would be equally bal
aneed between the parties which favor
different methods of imposing tariffs.
The bill requires the chairman and
the yice-chairman to be selected bien-
nially. This makes it impossible to
install in these important Offices for a
long term members who happen to
belong to the political party in power
when the appointment is made. In
the first instance members are ap-
pointed for two, four, six, eight, ten
and twelve years respectively. AS
their terms expire, however, their sue
cessors are appointed for twelve
years"
Keep Tariff Out of Politics.
1t is urged by some members of
congress that this specific division of
the commission into a membership Of
Republicans and Democrats as out
lined by the Trainer of the bill perhaps
may not be possible as things devel-
OPP. It is said that inasmuch as the
measure provides simply that not
more than three members of the CON-
mission shall belong to any one party
it will be possible to appoint three
Democrats or three Republicans and
then for instance to appoint a Progress
sive, a Prohibitionist. a Socialist.
1t is the intention of the measure,
however, to keep the tariff out of poll
tics and If the president shall exercise
Judgment in the appointment Of mem
bers 1t can be made commission non
political In its nature no matter what
parties are represented
Ever since the tariff commission
plan first was suggested the idea has
been to secure membership which
would consider the tariff as a business
proposition and not as a political one.
It is expected that business men and
students of economies will be ap-
pointed to the commission. An ideal
commission, as members of all parties
view it, would be one which would
study business conditions throughout
the country, would determine actually
which industries need protection and
which do not, and then would act &C
cordingly 1t must not be supposed
lOl q luOIlCht, AoWSfCiy llciI lnlo Jill
or any other bill which has been
framed in the past has for its object
the appointment of commission
which shall concern itself directly
with tariff legislation.
If this measure passes congress, as
1t is presumed that it will. the COM
mission will be empowered to act only
in an advisory capacity to congress.
1t will make studies of conditions here,
there and everywhere, and then will
lay it's reports before the president
and the congress of the United States.
There is nothing in the proposed law.
and there can be nothing in it, which
will in any way take away from con-
gress the right to legislate as it
chooses in tariff matters.
Aero Corps to Help Coast Guard.
Congress may act to provide aero
planes as aids to the life-saving and
the revenue cutter services of the
United States, two services which re-
Gently have been merged into one I'M
der the name of the coast guard.
Department officials are now en-
gagged in perfecting bill which will be
introduced into congress for the crea-
ton of coast guard aerial corps. By
ron r. Newton, assistant secretary of
the treasury. who has jurisdiction over
the coast guards, says on this matter:
81 favor any legislation which will
provide for the development of the
coast guard to higher degree of eff
cheney. The evolution of the services
and the natural expansion of it's use
fulness in saving life and property at
sea demand application of the art Of
flying to search for derelicts and for
carrying aid to ships and men in dis
tress at sea"
1t was only recently that the life
saving corps of the United States,
which Is composed of men who patrol
the beaches and the rocky headlands
and who go to sea in small boats at
the risk of their own lives to rescue
those in danger, was put upon a foot
ing similar to that occupied by the
revenue cutter service and in a meas
ure by that occupied by the army and
navy. For years the lifesavers at