Evening star., 1921-12-17
The "Flexible Tariff" Plan.

In the face of appeals from cham
bers of commerce and other business
interests throughout the land to let
the tariff alone" deaf, indeed, to their
pleas. the Louisville Courier journal
(democratic) charges President Hard
ing in his message to Congress urges
immediate tariff revision. Further he
advocates a policy which, its oppo-
nents declare, would result in a con-
tinued uncertainty that would make
business conditions intolerable. This
is the proposal for flexible tariff,
the rates of which would be made ad-
Unstable and regulated by the tarln
commission. While admittedly
"ereat departure" as the Buffalo Ex-
pres independent republican, puts H.
from the traditional American doc
trine. the proposal finds much edito-
rial support because it would, 1t Is
believed, afford greater facilities for
meeting changing conditions, as weil
as proving a more scientific system
than the present one. But 1t has also
many opponents who see both poilti-
cal and economic danger IN such
It is the uncertainty Of the tarifr
that "paralyzes trade" the Phiiadel-
phia Record independent democrat1c)
says, and 1.-The fact that a cnange is
imminent is worse for business ina.
either a high tariff or a low one: II
changes could be made "automatical.
iy, by some kind of magic" to meet
changing conditions. the new YORK
Post independently comedies sucns q
system "might be desirable" but II
feels that "a tariff which must De 80
changed by human beings would pc
the worst kind possible, for 1t would
be most uncertain tariff" While IN
justices might arise under nxed ou-
ties as conditions change. the new
York Times independent democratic)
ness would prefer to take its chances
under such a tariff than under
schedule Of duties variable at the
pleasure of a commission ana the
Chief Executive"
But "it is less important that busi-
ness should conform to rates tnah
that rates should conform to busi-
ness" the New York Tribune (repub-
iican) contends, so tariffs ought to
respond to the fluctuations OF world
trade and to readjustments IN our own
industries" The prevailing idea, the
Boston Transcript Gndependent re-
pu6ffcan) thinks. has been that the
tariff must be perfectly rigla nrst IN
one direction and then In the other
and the business of the country has
suffered untold injury from constant
reverses of tariff policy" Such rightly
"is the opposite of flexibility. and the
opposite Of all scientific determina-
ton" Further, any tartn policy tnat
light have represented wise states,
man ship" up to few years ago would
now be unwise," and the st. Louis
Globe Democrat (republican) believes
that President Harding is making an
intelligent recognition OF the fact
that circumstances and conditions
have been radically changed" and
that. as the Chicago Tribune dnde-
pendent republican, says, the old
system Of fixed schedules Is inappli-
cable to our present problems A
tariff commission with power to raise
or lever rates as conditions warrant
would, in the opinion Of the ithaca
Journal-News Independently, "be an
important step in the direction OF
scientific tariff which the country
needs badly" for the oid-fashioned
out Of date, inadequate to the coun-
try's needs. injurious, In fact. to the
development Of that foreign trade
which is essential II American in
dustry is to grow" The Detroit
Free Press tindependantl peints out
that under such q plan Ihe Geherai
policy of tho tariff. whether for pro-
lection or tending to free trade. would
remain in the hands Of Congress"
while the "rate-making" under that
policy would be left ito expert de-
termination upon economic. princt-
pies"
fdomocratic) Pemarks. the power
which President Harding has asked
ConEress to confer upon him and his
personally appointed administrative
Commission, that Of declaring duties
and imposts," "is vested exclusively
in Congress- by the Constitution" and
the St Paul Pioneer Press tindepen-
dent) is not clear how Congress "can
deputiae a commission or board to
enact law" for In substance the
Presidents idea is "the old one OF
dsiegating to q commission the legis-
lative authority Of Congress-" Far
from taking the tariff out Of politics. u
the Springfield Republican tndepen-
dsat) asserts that such O scheme
would put AmsTica's import trade ''at
the mercy of q tariff board the ma
jority Of whose members are In their
positions by reason OF the political
influence Of manufacturing interests
desirous Of dominating tho home
market" And ths Omaha World Her.
ol1