New-York tribune., 1922-05-04
arif Postponement


Concerning the tariff, the Senate
having duly debated and voted to APP
prove the acetic acid duty, the first
on the long list. the average person
does not trust his judgment much as
TO details.
But the general bearing of the bill,
particularly the measuring principle
on which its schedules are drawn, he
feels competent to judge. What
basis has been employed to determine
Why a levy shall be 40 per cent
rather than 20 per cent, or why two
cents rather than orc cent a pound
on some specific article?
In his opening speech Senator Nc
Cumber explained that the commit
tee had before it manufacturers and
Importers and that in adjusting the
rates the advice Of both was taken.
Said the Senator:
I'VE have had these two opposing
forces together, and in many in
stances We have fixed the rates of the
bill in conformity to what each Of
them thought he could do business
under"
Crticizing this statement, Senator
Jones, Of New Mexico, holds it
amounts to confession that the two
groups, each selfish, by combining
became in fact log rolling authors of
the bill.
Replying to this attack, Senator
McCumber said his language had
been distorted; that he had not ad-
mitted that the committee had abdi-
Gated its functions; that all he meant
was that when there is agreement
this is presumptive evidence IN favor
of a prescribed duty. This obviousl y
is a rather weak defense. The Sena-
tor does not contend that the advice
If consumers was much sought or
that the claims of exporters ana of
exporting industries were much re-
garded. or that any special effort
was made to ascertain wage rates
abroad.
The enactment of the Payne
Aldrich act, the last Republican
tariff. followed a prolonged discus
sion within the Republican party
The decision arrived at was for a
protective tariff to offset. but no
more than to offset, actual differ
ences in production costs at home
and abroad This was the Iowa
idea" indorsed by the Republican
national platform.
1t is the last formal definition of
the partys tariff doctrine and may
be held to define correctly the party's
present attitude. The complaint
against the Payne -Aldrich act as
originally prepared was that it did
rot honestly redeem the party's
pledge.
Senator McCumber does not deny
the binding force of this cost-of-p pro
cuction doctrine He acknowledges
It's validity. But it has not been
shown that his committee has made
g serious attempt to apply it. He
has listened TO those who outlined
what they wanted. His excuse is
that it is now impossible to ascertain
foreign production costs. Conditions
are too abnormal abroad to get reli-
! able data.
The issue thus narrows down to
y whether we should make a tariff
which necessarily represents guesses
ny those who naturally want what is
good for their pockets or whether
we should defer action until such
time as permits the writing of sci
entifc tariff.
Opinion grows that the weight Of
the argument is on the SIDE of post
ponement. We can have a tariff
which on the one hand viii protect
consumers and al the same time pre-
vent greedy domestic manufacturers
from killing our foreign trade. and
which on the other hand Will erect
dam against food Of foreign goods.
But not now.