Evening star., 1922-07-23
BY 6. GOULD LINCOLN.

|
tho Constitution, has control
over the interstate commerce
and the foreign commerce OF
tho United States. Thirty-fve years
ago Congress. with the approval OF
the President, created the Interstate
Commerce Commission to deal with
| interstate commerce, particularly
with transportation and the rates
| charged.
The powers Of the commission have
been very greatly enlarged and in
! creased by supplementary acts of
Congress and by the transportation
act of 1920. Congress set up another
| tribunal to aid in tho solution of
transportation problems, the Railroad
Labor Board. The power of the In
| terstate Commerce Commission over
railroad rates is practically supreme.
1t acts in judicial capacity.
Tariff Controlling Factor.
What has Congress done, however,
| with regard to foreign commerce?
| Admittedly. the foreign commerce of
the country, SO far as imports are
, concerned, is controlled to very large
extent by the customs duties For
years. Congress has undertaken to
| Write these duties in the so-called
| tariff laws, which it has enacted. 1t
| Is engaged at the present moment in
| this pastime. Administrations and
| political parties have risen and fallen
with the tariff making of the past
| more often they have fallen-and this
because Congress, as a body, is not
at all fitted to the task. Years ago
i distinguished soldier who was a
| candidate for the Presidency, de-
clared the tariff local issue" A
local issue 1t has always been, as
| handled by Congress, and will con-
tinue to be until it is taken out of
the hands of Congress.
II there exists any doubt as to the
truth Of this assertion, a casual read
ing of the pending tariff bill. and the
from the housetops by the democrats
opposing the bill-and some republicans
should be sufficient to convince the
| most skeptical. The tariff rates are
dictated by the parties interested in
getting as much protection" as they
can for their own industries, which in
the last analysis means money in thei,
| own pockets. This is true of manu-
facturers and agricultural organizat tions
| alike. The interests of the consuming
public are lost sight OF in the general
scramble.
Lemons, for Instance.
/ Is there any more reason why tariff
rates should be in this way than rail-
road rates should be so made? Is there
any more reason why Congress should
fix the customs duties on lemons than
it should fix the rates charged for the
transportation Of carload of lemons
from California to New York? Yet
that is what Congress does, although
it has delegated to the Interstate Com
merce Commission the fixing of the
transportation charges throughout the
country.
Six years ago the United States tariff
commission was created. 1t was a
mand that something be done to change
the old system by which special inter-
ests obtained privileges at the expense
Of the public. But jealous of its per-
negatives, Congress gave the commits
sion power only to investigate and re-
port to the President. the ways and
means committee of the House and the
80
operation, administration and effects of
the customs laws and their relation to
the federal revenues. 1t has not met
the demand that the tariff be taken
out of politics, that log rolling" meth
DDS Of fixing customs duties be aban-
doned, under which one senator or a
group of senators supports a high rate
of duty on one article in order to OBJ
tain a similar high rate of duty on an
other article.
President Harding's Proposal.
President Harding, in his address to
Congress December last, strongly
urged that way be found 'to make
for .fexibility and elasticity" of the
tariff, so that rates may be adjusted
to meet unusual and changing con-
ditions that cannot be accurately an
ticipated. The Senate finance COM
mittee. following out the suggestions
of the President, has written into the
pending tariff bill three sections seek
mfg to carry out this recommendation
of the President. And in these Sec
tions lies the real opportunity of
taking the tariff out of politics"
At the time the President made his
address to Congress, he SAID that it
would be necessary to extend the