The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-09-26
WHAT THE TARIFF DOES.

Although the tariff is an issue between
 the two major parties, yet it must not be
 understood simply that the Republicans favor tariff and the Democrats oppose
 a tariff. The difference is one of de-
 gree and not of kind. In each Democrat
 ic administration the Democratic party
 has enacted tariff law. The distinction
 is, whereas the Democratic theory is that the tariff is primarily for revenue and only mildly. for protection, the Republic ans espouse tariff that is not only very
 much higher than would be needed to protect any American industry against foreign competition in our own markets, but actually forms bulwark behind
 which big business may impose .an un-'
 just tax upon the American consumer.
 To call such tariff protective" is a mockery. The term is a mockery, not only because the duty is higher than nec- essary to cover the difference in produc- tion costs between home and foreign goods in any class; but it is particularly
 mockery in that many industries which
 have practically no foreign competition enjoy the exorbitant profits seized under a duty as high as it is dared to impose.
 The Republican administration has gone into partnership with these seeking spe- cial privilege and gives them the legal to exact an unearned tribute
 from the American people, under protec- ton of tariff schedule that would be resisted almost by extreme measures if it were suddenly imposed in the form of federal tax. The Republican party ex- pressed much concern over the federal tax and promised for three years to re- duce that tax; yet the unjust levy upon the American people under the Repub- lican tarfff$is many times greater than the reduction represented in the recent to the federal income tax law. And even for that tax reduction the peo- pie have the Democrats and not the Re- publicans to thank. For, true to their the Republicans were proceed ing under the Mellon plan to relieve the rich of taxes and to permit those of mod crate means to continue to pay.
 The high tariff operates to provide for big business in general the same oppor- tunity to enjoy an unearned profit through an improper levy that thes stee4a enjoyed through the operation of Pittsburg Plus. Pittsburg Plus was merely tariff. wall set up inside the country in order that the steel industry might exact an unearned tribute from fabricators and consumers of steel under the guise of protecting" Pittsburg. The same arguments that led to the over- throw of Pittsburg Plus may, with equal justice and pertinence, be; applied to a tariff over and above that moderate level which economic principles concede is au- thorized. In the case of Pittsburg Plus it was phantom freight" which was imposed upon consumers of steel. In the case of the burdensome tariff it is phantom competition" that is guarded against. The high tariff seeks with one hand to distract the victims attention by pointing to competition mirage on the industrial horizon, while with the other it rifles the pockets of the American consumer. After numerous decades of this sort of thing, always proceeding to further extreme of levying tribute, the American consumer is waking up.
 To be sure, even in tariff for reve- nue, or even for mild protection to indus tries just becoming established in this country, the duty is eventually paid by the American consumer, just as taxes on are eventually paid by the consumer. But there are Just taxes and there are unjust taxes. Likewise there is a moderate tariff for revenue mainly which is just, and there is tariff above and beyond that which is unjust. The have deliberately aligned themselves. in favor of the unjust tariff, and are abetting privileged. interests in their greedy depredations upon the in- comes of, the rank and file. Shall the people again surrender themselves to this piIIage in the private behalf, or shall the
 6q msq4 pSISJJo edsose eq4 ez!es eIdoed the claims of John w. Davis to the presidency?