The Washington herald., 1916-06-23

leaders of the Republican party nor the
leaders Of the Democratic party felt that
such impulses Of reform, such counsels
OF restriction could be entirely ignored I:
but neither party saw as yet the pru-
dent and practicable lines Of action 1t
would not do to check the processes
which were adding so enormously TO the
economy and efficiency Of the nations
productive work and promising TO give
her now at last that first place in wealth
and power in the world which every son
! who loved her had predicted she should
some day have: and yet il would not do
to leave the economic liberty OF the in
dividual or the freedom and self-respect
OF the workin gnan unprotected
The first steps taken by the new ad-
ministration for the relief Of the eco
nomic situation were not Of the new
order, but of the old. Mr.. Mckinley at
once summoned Congress to meet in ex-
traordinary session on the 18th Of March,
in order TO provide the government with
additional revenue He interpreted the
elections which had brought him into Of
fee TO mean that the country desired not
/ only 10 avoid the free coinage Of silver,
but also TO return 10 the protective sys-
tenn of duties exemplifed in the tariff Of
| 1880
The Ways and Means Committee Of the
House had prepared a tariff bill during
! the last session while they waited for
the change OF administration Upon the
convening Of Congress in extraordinary
session. Mr.. Dingley, their chairman. re-
ported it at once, and by the end OF the
month It had passed the House and been
sent to the Senate. It fingered close upon
four months in the Senate and In the
conference committee which sat 70 ad-
( just the differences between the two
/ houses: and when II became law. on the
Path of July, contained no systematic
scheme OF taxation at all, but merely a
miscellany Of taxes on the innumersble
| imports which were 10 be expected every
| year out Of foreign ports.
/ It's rates, upon the average. rose even
/ above those Of 1880. Some articles. like
, raw hides, which had been on the free
| list for a quarter OF a century were
/ again subjected to duty: the sugar men
again got what they desired; some duties,
! like that on FAX, were imposed TO please
the farmers: some. like that on lead and
lead ores. 70 placate the senators who
were of the silver interest OF the western
mining country. Here and there, notice
ably in the metal schedules, the rates
were left as they had stood since 1894; the
( duty on steel rails was even slightly re-
duced, as II the great steel industry al
least were counted on TO take care OF
itself
! The net result was a return TO the high
est principles OF protection, or. IL no prtn'
! ciple could be discovered in the Act Al
least to its most extreme practices.
| year late CJune Is 1880. an Act was
passed which created an Industrial Com
mission whose function II was to be &C
! coIlate information and to consider and
! recommend legislation with regard to the
many complicated problems presented by
labor agriculture and the industrial use
| of capital.
| An Act had preceded II by some two
weeks CJune |, 1889 which made provision
/ for the arbitration OF labor disputes be-
! tween common carriers and their en-
ployees engaged in Interstate commerce
to avoid, II possible. the difficulties which
/ Mr.. Cleveland had been obliged to settle
| by the use OF federal troops.
But as yet protective tariffs, inquiry
| into economic conditions, and provision
| for arbitration were all that the leader,
OF the houses had TO offer towards The
solution OF the questions out OF which the
| silver agitation had sprung.