The Republican journal., 1922-05-18
TARIFF MAKING

The first tariff bill in this country was
passed in 1889 and since then there have
been twenty-five notable revisions. This
tariff law remained unchanged until 1872,
"A period Of twenty three years. Since
IN no tariff bill has existed for more
IN thirteen years without revision. The
Kinley Bill was law less than three
Years. the Gorman-Wilson Bill less than
three years, the Dingley Law little
more than two years, the Payne Act
about four years, and the Underwood
Law. now in force, has been on the
statute books about eight years and a
half. Debate and passage of each of these
last two bills held the attention of Con-
aress for eight months and it should be
noted that the time used in the debate
and passage of these bills does not IN
clude the time spent in committee hear.
inqs and discussions which dragged along
for more than three months in each in
stance Some of the Democratic Sena-
tors have been exploding with indigna-
tion because, as they say, the Republic
cans are wasting time in their manage
N ent of the bill now under debate. They
should not forget their own time record
in tariff making.
The first Republican tariff bill was
passed in 1861 and since the passage of
this bill there has been fifteen revisions
of our tariff laws. Eleven of these re-
visions were made by Republicans and
four by the Democrats. In every in
stance the Republican revisons were fol-
lowed by improved business conditions
and in every instance the enactments
made by the Democrats were followed by
a nose. dive into business depression
Ever since 1916 the tariff has been, in
the main, political and sectional ques-
4tion, when instead, it should have been
considered only from a practical stand
point. In other words, there should have
been more patriotism, no politics and no
sectionalsm. Sectionalism as between
the North and the South is now deca-
dent, but the pollution of politics and the
sinister hands of local and even of indi-
vidual interests are plainly seen in every
tariff debate in the halls of Congress.
1t is now more than a year since the
tariff bill now under debate was placed
in the chopper" in the House of Repre-
sentatives. 1t was at once referred to
the proper committee and this committee
gave hearings for some months to all
who desired to speak for or against the
bill as proposed. After the hearings
were over the committee reported the
/ bill to the House for action. Without
much delay the House passed the bill and
sent it to the Senate for concurrence,
whereupon the august t?) senators pre-
sented, in rapid succession, more than
two Thousand amendments to the bill,
and nearly every one of them was pre-
sented for the purpose of delaying the
passage of the bill. On the first amend
m ent there was debate lasting ten days,
e4he dispute being whether the duty on
sacetic anhydride should be eight cents or
only two and half cents pound. The
next amendment proposed to reduce the
duty on boric acid ''half cent a pound"
Two days were spent in debating that.
At this rate of progress we fear that be-
fore the passage of this bill all the mem
bers of the present senate will have pass
ed into history if not into oblivion. Even
If the Senate should succeed in passing
some sort of bill during the present ses-
sion it will, at the best, be only COM
promise between two factions of warning
politicians. Even if a really good bill
should be enacted our tariff troubles
would not be over. They will recur with
about the usual frequency.
The most healthy and robust tariff bill
can have but short life because busi-
ness conditions are constantly changing
and becoming more intricate. We have
today q popu alton of more than i06. O00-
900 people. Sixty years ago we had .
population of about 50. O00. oOO Our an
snual increase has averaged more than H.
.E0 900. That rate of increase will prob
ssbly continue and in ten years from now
YsTv7y nNE0uAlEO