The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1932-10-01
Roosevelt on Tariff


Roosevelt at Sioux City spoke ably on two root
evils-hgh and high tariffs.
Leaving for another address detailed discussion
of federal and expenditures he stressed the
issue Of local and state taxes which represent two
thirds of our total tax burden
He showed that sweeping reorganization Of local
and state governments, involving scrapping of many
Offices and functions OF useless and overlapping units
is necessary to lift the tax burden.
In his longer discussion of the tariff, he went
farther than ever before in demand for reduction
though not far enough, in our judgment.
He was especially honest in admitting that the
tariff not help the farmer but that on the con-
trary it is responsible for much of the disastrous
spread between the price of what the farmer sells
and what he must buy.
This statement is all the more gratifying because
in earlier speech Roosevelt seemed to be finger
ing the farm tariff gold brick We quote his latest
statement
The principal cash crops of our farms are pro-
duced much in excess Of our domestic requirement.
We know, of course, that tariff surplus crop,
no matter how high the wall, has the slightest effect
to raise the domestic price Of that crop.
The producers Of all these crops are thrust as
effectively outside the protection Of our tariff walls
as if there were no tariff at all But we still know
that the tariff does proect the prices of industrial
the farmer, with increasing bitterness has come to
realize that he sells a free-trade basis he buys
in protected market The higher industrial tariffs
60 the greater is the farmers burden"
His admirable summary of the vicious effects of
the present law follows:
THE Grundy tariff largely has extinguished the
export markets for our industrial and farm supplies
it has prevented payment of public and private debts
to us, and the interest thereon increasing taxation
to meet the expense of our government, and finally
it has driven our factories abroad"
AS resolution, he proposes:
l. Reciprocal arrangements with foreign govern
ments, trading basis, for tariff reduction.
q Enactment of reforms contained in the recent
Democratic tariff bill vetoed by Hoover; including
reduction of log rolling by egisating on single tariff
rates at a time, and making the tariff commission
responsible to congress instead of to the President
These reforms are necessary
But his proposal for reciprocal tariff treaties is
not convincing as an immediate solution. Negotia-
ton of commercial treaties requires many years. and
his reciprocity method involves reversal of pres
ent INSTRUMENTATION treaties and long confusion
Perhaps such change is desirable. We not
certain Assuming that it is good it is long time
change and not a method of quick relief.
Because we agree fully with Roosevelt that there
can be no real prosperity unless and until the high
tariff policy is reversed we urge fiat tariff reduction
by the next congress- at least to the 1922 Republican
rates and without waiting for prolonged foreign
gotiatons. The foreign agreements and will
come later.
"a 1t remains for Roosevelt to say how much of
tariff cut he favors and when He admits that his
own and his platforms declaration for "competi-
tive" tariff is widely different from that preached
by Republicans" But he says the Republicans are
not sincere in this while the Democrats
In view of the Democratic record in helping to
pass the Hawley-SmoOt mOnstrosity and the failure
of the recent Garner Democratic tariff bill to pro-
pose a single rate reduction, Roosevelts pledge of a
competitive" tariff does not go far enough.
AT Sioux City he went most of the way toward
pledging tariff reform. In his next tariff address
he should go the whole way, and commit himself
to a definite and immediate cut.