OCR Text |
Show TARIFF A PARTISAN QUESTION H. H. Grosst president of the Permanent Tariff Commission League, in an address before the exposition ex-position of chemical industries, held in New York City a few days ago, advocated the establishment of a permanent non-partisan tariff commission, and cited the German tariff commission as an example ex-ample for the United States to follow. He spoke of that commission as being composed of German Ger-man manufacturers and other industrial interests and as working toward the welfare of the German Ger-man empire. Mr. Gross believes the German tariff tar-iff commission illustrates the feasibility of establishing es-tablishing a non-partisan commission in the United States. He is not alone in his belief, nor in his fallacy. The argument for a non-partisan tariff commission is of a long standing, and of light weight, and is being agitated today. A nonpartisan non-partisan tariff commission in Germany is possible, because the German empire is practically a unit on the subject of protection to home industries. That is a policy accepted as correct by all parties. There is no partisanship whatsoever in the matter. mat-ter. The exclamation, Deutchland uber alles, is as applicable to commercial supremacy as it is to the right of might. In the United States the question of protec-'V5) protec-'V5) tion is a strictly partisan question. The Demo crats believe in free-trade, the Republicans believe be-lieve in protection to American industries. Every other political issue is subverted to that issue. It is the crux of the political situation. If a man believes in a protective tariff he has the i makings of a good Republican. If he is cursed with free-trade proclivities the voting majority want none of him. Hence, it is folly to speak of a non-partisan tari ffcommisslon in the United States. A tariff commission well and good: To collect data on manufacturing industries and submit sub-mit it to Congress for legislative action. But a non-partisan tariff commission would be a govern- v mental eunuch. |