The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1916-09-22
SENATOR POINDEXTER OUT
IN STATEMENT OF POSITION
Approves Republican Platform But FavOrs
Commission With Power to Fix Taiff
Rates and Remove Same
from Politics

dexter used these words:
THE tariff plank in the 1916 plat
form states substantially my position,
which I have taken in the primary
campaign on that question. Such pro-
tection,' it says, should be reasonable
in amount, but sufficient to protect ad'
equately American industries and Am
erican labor, and be so adjusted as to
prevent undue exactions by monopolies
or trusts.
II do not believe that the declara-
tion in the platform in favor OF tariff
commission to gather and compile in
formation is adequate. I believe, on
the contrary, in a tariff commission
with power to ascertain and declare the
facts in any particular line of industry,
as to the difference in the cost OF pro-
duction in the United States and in
foreign countries (which has been
stated in republican platforms as a
proper measure OF tariff protection };
and that such figures in each particular
case, when so found, shall be collected
as the tariff duty under provisions ol
the law to that effect. There is no
question about the constitutionality ol
this, as l believe I demonstrated re-
Gently il the senate.
Under such an arrangement the
tariff rates upon the various classifica-
tions and schedules will be kept in
harmony with the constantly changing
conditions of business. Any one en-
gagged in industry, claiming to have
less protection than the measure stated
in the law, could make application
through such commission, and, upon
ascertainment OF the facts, if such COM
plant was found to be we'll founded,
the rates could be adjusted to suit the
existing conditions.
In this way the true principles oi
the tariff could be kept in operation by
making its rates and also its classi6ca-
tions less rigid and more responsive to
the fluctuations OF wages and other
costs OF production.
In this way the gross abuses Of the
tariff, and also the crude inadequacies,
often in evidence under our present
system, would be avoided; the country
would be relieved from constant agita-
ton on the subject; business would be
freed from the uncertainties Of party
conflicts as to the policy of the tariff;
by providing this means of adjustment
and so avoiding abuses the entire coun-
try would become reconciled and per-
manently under a protective system;
and the crude and unbusinesslike
methods that are at present employed
by congress in its effort to deal with
the business and scieAtifc questions
involved in tariff classifcations and
schedules would be replaced by scien-
tifc and businesslike procedure.
while the tariff policy, and the
measure itself OF protection, would be
thus fixed by law as the policy OF the
country, the details of its administra-
ton, like the details OF the administra-
ton OF the rest of our laws (the tariff
being practically the only exception
would be taken out OF politics.
my objection to the Underwood
tariff bill was indicated not only in q
speech which I made on the subject
at the time (portions OF which de-
tached from their context were quoted
by one OF my opponents in the pri'
mary campaign), but by numerous re-
marks made in the senate during the
administration OF sundry amendment:
to the bill and by my votes upor
scores OF such amendments in favor o.
chan gi6t The bins schesnle .<s<c
give adequate protection particularly
to the products Of the Pacific north
west which have been inadequaiely
protected, while many eastern manu-
facturers have enjoyed excessive rates
Upon various other planks Of thu
platform, such as our foreign relations
Mexico, Monroe doctrine. Latin Amer