The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1928-11-27
Labor and the Tariff

A complaint of long standing is that our pro-
tecve tariff schedules written by the particular
interests benefited. Any generous campaign contrbu-
tor it has been said has been permitted to tell con-
gress just what he thought the tariff on his own
product should be.
He has been able to fix the price that American
suers pay by abolishing the threat of foreign
competition This of course has been a sweeping
generalization, but it has had considerable truth
Theoretically, our tariff schedules based on the
difference between costs of production abroad espe
cialy labor costs and the costs in America Actu
ally the schedules have been made high in many
instances as to bar foreign importatons completely
leaving American manufacturers of these articles, in
some cases necessities of life free to make exorbi
tant profits
The consumer has received little attention from the
tariff schedule makers.
Continuation of this policy has been possible largely
because of the labor vote Only the tariff labor has
been told in one campaign after another, enables
American manufacturers to pay high wages. This has
been convincing apparently even to workers not re-
ceiving high wages, though working for highly pro-
tected manufacturers.
However be all this 1t may, labor Is Offering it
self for new consideration in the matter of writing
tariffs 1t proposes to take direct hand. Representa-
tives of seventeen unions have formed committee for
this purpose.
They are ready to proceed to business and have
asked President Elect Hoover to call special session
b congress to revise the present tariff They will be
On hand to advise congress concerning the schedules
that affect their trades.
They propose to keep themselves aloOf from all
organizations of manufacturers pursuing the same
purpose but it is hardly imaginable that the manufac-
turers will resent their activities.
Indeed If the labor men reveal suthclent ln1lu-
ence they may make it possible for manufacturers to
reduce their campaign contribution.
The unions involved present long list OF articles
that are coming in over the tariff walls and declare
that thousands of workmen are out OF employment IN
America as a result. Maybe they are taking 1alr
and re asonable course and maybe American con-
sumers have nothing to fear.
t reallv there is more to this business OF writing
tariffs than the directly benefited parties sometmes
seem to see The present jam our country is getting
into with various foreign countries deeply in our
debt and unable to find ways Of paying us, may be an
indication of this fact.
This new labor committee apparently isn't troubling
itself as vet on that score Labor not only shouo De
represented on the United States tariff commission,
saws the new committee but "the commission should
be composed of men who have had practical expert
ence in industry" That would to limit the per-
sonnet of the commission to manufacturers and LABOR
representatives.
Labor surely is entitled to representation on the
tariff commission But idea OF reform OF taaV
bodv lies in another direction. We would like to see
return to the policy that guided woodrow Wilson IN
his appointments an effort to find men OF the caoer
of Professor Frank W. Taussg and some OF his fellows
of the days before the commission became rubber
stamp for the price-poosting manufacturers