Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-02-07
TARIFF BY COMPROMISE.

The swinging Of the tariff pendulum
In the past has been one of the curses
of the country, but it has been inevi-
table. A tariff made on the basis of
purely partisan doctrines has been
forced to follow the extremes of high
protection or revenue-only, says the
Peoria Journal. When republicans
were awarded control of the, govern
ment on a platform of high tariffs they
were expected to slap on the duties;
when the control revolted from ex-
cesses in protection, the democrats
were expected to peel off the duties.
The result has been such wildly diverg-
ent tariff schedules within a compare
lively few years as the Wilson tariff
under Cleveland and the Payne-Ald-
rich tariff under Taft. Under one ad-
ministration industry has been allowed
to enjoy protection palpably excessive;
under another administration it has
( been in some instances deprived of
even such protection as it may hon
estly have needed. What has industry
had to bank upon with such a shift
ing-or ever-present possibility Of
shifting-in the tariff?
/ An excess of protection, aside from
its moral iniquity, has encouraged
mushroom prosperity and held out
false security. Free trade has deprived
IC1 yoIn ind rtrfr 20 oil %
support whether fair or unfair mat
tiers not which they had been lead to
depend upon. The natural effect has
been to keep business in state of con-
slant doubt-and into many cases to
make greed and selfishness the dom
inant idea of tariff making on the part
of protection beneficiaries, and retail
alton the motive of tariff reformers
representing the consumer.
There is no more reason why tariff
schedules should be made along par
tisan lines than railroad schedules.
While the fundamental differences be-
tween protectiOnists and free traders
are time-honored bases OF partisan
ship. not only in America but in many
other countries, there is no sound ex-
cuse for subjecting the industries OF
the country to a quadriennial political
earthquake in order to fight out these
differences. If either the protectionist
or the -protectionist were entirely
right, We should not require periodical
reference of the tariff question to the
people; the issue would be easily set
tied
1t is obvious, however, that both are
partly right and both are partly wrong
in their methods of dealing with this
intricate problem which affects not
only industry, but the consumer and
the foreign markets question as well
Would it not be matter of plain bust
ness sense, in view of this fact, tc
make our tariff schedules on basis OF
compromises, after an intelligent and
honest comparison of notes from both
sides?
A tariff commission, interpartisar
and intersectional, should be many
times better qualified to write tariff
schedules with fairness to all elements
involved than such work can possibly
be performed by mere platform edict
The differences on the tariff between
republicans and democrats as individ
, uals are not so acute as once they
, were. Even confirmed partisans ear
find many points Of agreement.
= well-informed, fairminded commission
of men from all parties would likewise
: be able to find many points for mu
= tual concession if relieved of the ne
cessity Of treating The tariff as a blan
ket party measure.
The country is weary of being catap
! ulated from one tariff extreme to the
: other. We believe it is ready to adop
!, the same plan Of treating this grea
) problem by a commission.
Robbed Man Dies From Wounds.