Evening star., 1935-04-21
Capital Sidelights
ny WILL r. KENNEDY.

Who remembers about the Tariff
of Abominations7" Representative
Allen T. Treadway, ranking minority
member on the Ways and Means
Committee, explained 1t. to some Of
his colleagues in the House lounging
room the other day. He pointed out
that the first really protective tariff
measure was asked by President Mon
roe and enacted in 1924. It's chief
supporter was Henry Clay, who glori-
fled the policy of protection by calling
1t THE American System" The aver
eye tariff rate rose to about 80 per
cent and behind this wall OF pro-
lection the capital invested In in
dustries trebled in three years.
Then in 1928 the tariff was again
increased. the general level of rates
being raised to 49 per cent. This
represented the extreme protective
legislation prior to the Civil War, and
stirred up increased resentment in the
South. The act OF 1928 had its origin
in the agitation for increased pro-
lection following the defeat Of the
Mallory woolens bill in 1927. which
eliminated in the Harrisburg Con-
vention.
One significant feature of the de-
bate on the bill, Representative Tread
way points out, was the reversal on
the part of Daniel Webster of his at
titude towards the tariff. In 1924,
representing as he did the commercial
city OF Boston, he strongly espoused
free trade. Now he frankly changed
sides, giving as his reason the fact
that Massachusetts, had accepted pro-
lection as a settled national policy
and had invested her capital in manu-
factures.
The act Of 1928 was derisively
termed the black tariff" and the
tariff Of abominations." and gave
increased impetus to the nullifica-
tion movement which was then gain
ing foothold in the South.
How the greatest industrial region
on the American continent"-around
Pittsburgh-has been built up through
providing for the cheap movement
of raw materials" and by processes Of
manufacture developing a greater
volume Of trafiic to move by rail than
is to be found in any other section of
our country" Is explained by Repre-
sentative Joseph ]. Mansfield of Tex
as. chairman of the House Rivers and
Harbors Committee.
This region is cited by Mr.. Mansfield
to illustrate that "the railroads which
operate in the same zones where the
greatest volume Of waterway traffic
is handled, are the most prosperous. u
thus disproving the claim that water
ways injure the railroads.
THE Pittsburgh district might be
considered az the center of inland
waterway transportation" Mr.. Mans
field points out. 1T is the destination
Of great volume of iron ore moving
over the Great Lakes. It Is the place
of origin Of a great volume Of coal,
going back over the same waterway
1t Is at the juncture Of the Allegheny
and Monongahela. forming the Ohio
These three rivers handle a greater
volume of traffic than Is handled over
any other inland waterway of our
/ country.
During the quarter-century period
from 1900 to 1925, while the waterway
traffic increased 3l,000,000 tons, the
railroad trafic increased 10000. .000
tons" Mr.. Mansfield emphasizes. I'm
1900 the trafic on the rivers in the
Pittsburgh district was 5000, 900 tons.
In the following Is years it had in
creased to 100000 tons, and here is
how it affected the railroads. In 1900
the rail trafic was $1,000 900 tons and
in 1925 it had increased to 173,0eo,-
900 tons"