The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1922-06-20
TAKING TARIFF
OUT OF POLITICS

Judge Gilbert H. Gary, of the u. S.
Steel Corporation, in a recent ad-
dress before the American Iron and
Steel Institute, advocated the pro-
tective policy and said: "I'here
should be commission of well paid,
high minded, intelligent, competent
and nonpartisan appointees au-
thorized to ascertain and communi-
cate the facts and figures, and their
reports should be frequent so that,
if deemed necessary, change in or
amendment to the tariff laws or
any of them could be made any
time Congress is in session. Its
members would, or should, confine
their discussions to the question as
to whether or not the recommends
tions came within the principals
named" that is, high enough tariff
rates to protect domestic produc-
ton fully up to the point of being
on a parity with all foreigners as to
selling prices in the United States;
but they should not be high enough
to permit producers to Cypress con-
sumers by unreasonable and un-
considerable prices"
Every protectionist will agree
with Judge Gary on these points;
but has he overlooked the fact that
we have a tariff commission for
that very purpose? The members
of this commission meet the re-
quirements laid down by Mr.. Gary,
and their reports to Congress are
frequent and fair.
The Payne tariff law, passed by
the Republicans in 1909, provided
for a tariff board, which was ap-
pointed by President Taft, and
which functioned we'll until the
Democrats cut off its appropriation,
when it went out Of business. There
was then countrywide movement
started for a permanent tariff COM
mission, and the Democrats being
in power at that time turned right
around and supported the move
ment The debates on the subject
are interesting, particularly those
of the Democrats. who, having
killed the tariff board then, at the
instigation Of Mr.. Wilson, were
eloquent in favor Of establishing
another.
The organic act of the present
tariff commission provided for a
strictly bipartisan boTd, but Mr..
Wilson Interpreted that to mean
"unipartisan," and in order to make
it certain that it was SO, he filled
the commission with his own fol-
lowers. Thus his first act was in
violation Of the express provisions
Of the law. Insofar as possible,
President Harding has met the re-
quirements of Congress in the mat
ter, and the commission is pretty
evenly divided, SO far as party
affiliation is concerned. The pres
ent commission has made some
notable contributions to the tariff
question, and it is scientific to the
last degree.
One Of the main difficulties with
respect to changing or amending a
tariff law is that the prefecture
entails the throwing open Of the
entire law with its 1000 or more
articals. Under the rules Of Con-
gress, once an amendment is sug-
gested, any other amendment con-
templating a change in rates, is
germane and must be debated. In
short, b single amendment might
bring about an entire revision. II
some method could be adopted to
prevent this-to confine considera-
ton to- a single amendment, or to
group Of amendments, the con-
summation devoutly wished by
Judge Gary might be realized. But
the schedules in the tariff laws are
more intricately interviewer than
was the Wilson league of nations
with the Versailles treaty. An
amendment to the duty on wool
cloth might be under consideration,
for example, when ths manufacturer
would immediately show the neces-
sity for a change in the duty on
wool, and the wool-grower would
ask for compensation by way of a
change in duties on the commodi-
ties he consumes, and so on down
the line.
Judge Gary wants the tariff taken
out Of politics. The only way to
do that is for all interests to pull
together and make protection a
national policy. The Southern
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