Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-08-13
HARDING MAKES
TARIFF REVISION
CAMPAIGN ISSUE:
Blanket Declaration of Fait!
in Protection as Defense
of U. S. Industries.
BY DAVID LAWRENCE.


MARION. Ohio, August Ex-senator
Harding has sent message Of good
cheer to the believers in a protective
tariff. He means to revive the tariff
both as an issue in the campaign and
as a defense for American industry.
The occasion of his outburst of en-
thuSiaSm for the protective tariff
was a communication from California
telling of the plight of the lemon
growers. but in reality the republi-
can candidate, who gave a scant para
graph to the subject in his speech OF
acceptance, has been waiting for a
chance to tell old-line republicans
that the tariff is as close to his heart
as any other political question.
Mr.. Harding is f1rm belieFef III
the protective tariff With great
earnestness, he told the correspond
ents here that he thought a new tariff
law was inevitable and necessary or
course, no one pretends any more that
there is much revenue TO be gained
out of a tariff law, for the most tnat
ever was secured under the hlehest
tariff measures was about $40u,oou,-
coo. which used to be half America $
budget, but nowadays, with an annual
expense of four billion dollars, is
relatively negligible.
The income tax has taken its place
as the great revenue producer.
Sees Tariff From Another Angle.
Senator Harding. however. sees the
tariff from quite another angie
namely. protection of American lndus-
try. 1t NAV WELD a small amount OF
revenue, but at the same time he
thinks tariff protection Will help IN
dustries survive and keep pay rolls III
tact.
The republican candidate didn't go
into detail. With the exception OF
wool he didn't mention any other
commodities or industries that WouIu
be favorabIy affected by tarlI re-
vision He did not discuss those IN
dustries which used to be IN need
of a protective tariff, but whose cost
of production, due to efficiency lneth-
DDS. now is lower than tnat OF lof-
would see to it that the protective
tariff wasn't used. as means OF
keeping price levels high. The senator
simply made q blanket utterance coy
ering the principle of protective
tariff and declined at this time 10
give any further specihcatlons.
OF course, in the midst OF cam
nsien it would be unwise to mention
snecifically the industries that would
he protected, for that would open up
a subject that would be as tangled
and as perpleXing as the writing OIL
a new tariff law itself
No Hesitancy as to Principle.
But the principle of a protective
tariff Mr. Harding has no hesltancy
in proclaiming. The democrats lneiI-
selves have recognized that principle
in urging tariff on dyeStuffs 10
protect our infant industry, started
during the European war from the
influx of German products Ihe dern-
ocrats. however, have not committed
f.f nl
icy as yet.
The politics of Senator Harding's
assertion of his belief in protective
tariff is significant. The republican
managers promised in 1918 that they
would revise the tariff as soon as
possible, and there were some repup-
lican business men who thought that
should have happened at the last ses-
sion of Congress, in which both houses
were controlled by the republicans.
But the leaders in Congress thought
otherwise. They really feared 1t
would be useless to attempt any re-.
vision of the tariff with world trade
conditions changing from day to day
with developments in Europe.
To the high tariff mer the republic
cans also pointed out the uselessness
of tariff revision from another view
point-namely, the certainty that
democratic executive would veto any
tariff legislation that republican
Congress might send to the White
House.
Opportunity Reiterates His Faith.
Now, however. with the prospect of
a republican administration in all
branches of the government, the re-
publican candidate for the presidency
is opportuRely reiterating his faith in
protective tariff. All the obstacles
that lie in that course have been fully
discounted. 1t is realized that all the
desires of those captains of industry
who want a high tariff for their own
advantage cannot be granted and that
there is some danger of exciting
hopes which can never be satlsf1ed.
So the discussion will for the present
be confined to the principle of pro-
tective tariff, which Senator Harding
deems a fitting companion policy TO
his theory of America first in all in
ternational relations.
Copyright, 1920.