Evening star., 1921-01-04
TARIFF COMMITTEE
READY FOR ACTION
Host of Men Concerned in
Question Fastening Here
to Present Their Views.
BY n. O. MESSENGER.

Representatives of manufacturing
and producing interests OF the cooh-
try are beginning to assehoie III
Washington. and from now until the
middle of February the hotels anu
the committee rooms and corrioo's Va
the Capitol will be thronSeo Win
men concerned in the making Oh the
new tariff law by the next Congress.
Dav after tomorrow the hearings Will
commence before the ways ana means
Committee. and the first contihsen.'
the chemicals. oils and PANT "en'
.F;rst-aid Information is what
the committee says it wants IRON
these witnesses on the various scneu-
ules as they are taken up Ii otu
The purpose of the Dill 70 oitad
nared. after all the facts are en ~
is to enact tariff when WIZ tharn and
American industries. foster them any NJ
nrnyide employment for laoor
wages commensurate with the Amea
can standard of living, as contr sS"r
NTH conditions OF workingmeh al ~'
countries.
Fear for Excessive Tarin.
The nossible attending effect TO De
.vo;ded is creation OF monopohes
through too high tar1n, winch
would build a Chinese wall against
foreign importations. mlhtaee
AGAINST international trade and MAKE
retail prices Of commodities a Uus. Mh.
den upon the ultimate cons4s1 tnrs1. Tor
revenue democrats and the no.1aMf ~
at,an minority will bend their ei-
forts to prevent such erect.
But the testimony of these inter
ested parties. e1 parte a. a II no,n,nsttee mu 80
viii have. il It chooses to avail itseif
of material In hand. The tar1n com
n,is,iori. a function OF governments.
administration Of which NOT 2 gIeAs
deal is heard, 10 said to nave on nanu
a vast fund of informative mA
rial al the disposal .of the commls
tee whether the comiutttee WIN
draw upon 1t Is another question.
THE tariff commission was created
after years of agitation-declared
altruistic by the hard-boaled stana-
uattery-to collect facts bearing upon
production and wages in this coun-
frv and abroad, to be used in deter
mining tariff schedules on business
and not political lines. The tarin was
assumed to be q business PROPOSE
rion, amenable to the laws OF supply
and demand. natural resources indus-
try, mechanical genius and superior
ity. and the stern, cold facts of COM
merce, and not merely an economic
theory to be set UP or knocked
down by professionals.
Time for Sh0wdsssn.
The tariff commission is known to
have busted itself since the war
gathering information from all hither-
to great manufacturing countries as
well as collecting statistics of home
production. These facts are expected
to be of value to the committee in
checking up" the statements Of wit
nesses urging their case before the
pected to make the most telling argu-
ments possible In behalf Of their own
particular industries and their need
for protection.
At any rate. it is held, here is a
good time to try out the efficacy Of
the tariff commission and prove or
refute the arguments made for and
against its worth at the time it WAS
created. Men in Congress differed
then, and do yet, as to its value. and
now is declared to be the time for a
showdown. The tariff commission is
known to be willing for the test to
be made and Is only apprehensive that
prejudice in Congress may work
against its being allowed to present
the showing.
Consuner Has Friends.
Thoughtful men in Congress opine
that when the new tariff bill. in the
extra session Of Congress. comes to
the making, in committee and on the
floor of the House and Senate, 1t will
be amid conditions and affected by
considerations unlike those in any
previous tariff construction. The pro-
found changes in all world affairs
wrought since 1914 are expected to be
reflected in getting up this great. new
economic measure.
For one thing. an element Is to be
represented in Congress this time to
an extent greater than ever before
the ultimate consumer. He bids fair
to have some friends at court. 1t is de-
clared. Heretofore, the history Of
tariff bills shows. the manufacturer.
labor and the farmer were the three
principal interests to be guarded in
tariff schedules. The manufacturer
came first. on the plea that he made
employment for labor. Then the farm
er and labor got theirs"
AS for the ultimate consumer-well,
''he paid the freight" on the score
that he would derive his beneft from
the general prosperity Of the country.
He is pretty well paid out now. it is
contended, and will have to be looked
out for and guarded against prices
pegged too high for his reach, and at
fected by tariff rates and foreign i'm