The Washington herald., 1921-11-01
Making Tariffs.

THE New York Times is greatly disturbed be-
/! cause, as it says: "The agricultural bloc is
now preparing permanent tariff schedule
IN its own behalf" 1t does this at time when as
Inc Times discovers there is unmistakable re-
vulsion of sentiment against that method of pre-
pairing a tariff" Continuing, it works itself to a
state OF indignation, if not horror at the presump-
tion of the bloc:
II will be interesting to remark the coun-
trys reaction to a tariff made. by the States
4 which dominate the bloc, and therefore the
Senate Iowa. Kansas. Wyoming Oregon
Colorado, Nebraska, Louisiana, Texas the Da-
4 kotas, .Wisconsin-westward and southwark the
r Star of Empire has taken its way with a
+ vengeance This is worse than sectional poll
tics 1t is sordid politics of the sort which the
q East has checked whenever it came out of the
! West, and with results which show that the
West alone cannot control the country's politi-
cal economies, or economic politics, any more
than the East alone could or should.
The Herald does not agree with the agricul-
tural bloc to the schedule for farm products
rates so far as they have been tentatively an
nounced. We fail to benefit to the farmers
in unressonably higher duties on farm products but
quite the contrary, believe the interests of agrcu-
ture, whose market is so largely overseas is best
served by uniformly low schedules Yet we fail to
appreciate the point OF view of the Times or
where the industrial East has any room for COM
plant, if the producing West and South organizes
in its own behalf
II Ever since there has been protective tariff,
the schedules have been written by the Industrial
East. If there is any change of intention or prac-
tice now it is only because of differences between
the industrial East and the financial East If the
present movement by the West and South is so
awful, it is but leaf OF the book of the East
Nor IS there any indication to date, that all the
special interests affected by the tariff will not have
4. Iaroa "a. =. Al
And why not? Who knows quite so we'll the
effect OF rates upon any special industry as do those
engaged in it? Who knows quite so well the effect
of American valuation, the importers? Nor. is
there any indication that the members from indus
trial and financial districts viii cease to represent
their districts. If the sentiment as to methods of
preparing tariff has changed then representative
government must have changed its spots, and
Congressman be longer influenced by the. pre-
Sailing sentiment of their celebrates. J.
Moreover, the West and South which are agri-
cultural, have been trained for long years by the
industrial protectionsts in the school of preserving
The domestic markets. They have been trained in
rsordid politics., to prevent the West from check
ing it when it "came out of the East" The farm
ers have been told and had it drilled into them,
that high tariff industrial products built up
this home market for them and they were tossed
sucn a sop as was cOmpeIeQ IN the form OF tariff
on farm products to keep them from rebellion. 1t
has been the products of the farms which have
formed the bulk of exports With them this
country has always paid its debts abroad and bal
anced exchange.
! The West has gone TO school to this economic
philosophy for century. If it has misiearned
the lesson which does not fit the new eco
,nomc relations of this country, least It has been
an apt pupil and the East should not throw stones
There is good argument against excessive food
schedule rates. there is against all excessive
ifs for the worlds great creditor nation This may
be quite convincing to products which must so
largely find foreign markets among people who
must sell or they cannot buy or even pay interests
10 reduce American taxes and support American
purchasing power.
But these arguments do not lie in accusations
by the East of selhshness the part of the West
and South. The East has not shown that spirit of
beneyolence and philanthropy in it tariff making
in the past, which makes it mentor of the virtue
of unselhshness. 1t has framed the tariffs since
when the memory of man runneth not to the con-
trary and it is quite natural if last the West and
South are inclined to share this burden of respon-
sbility even as their products whose prices are
fixed not by domestic, but by foreign demand
Dr. Harding will probably write the pre-