OCR Text |
Show WHY HAVE ANY HEARINGS AT ALL. Just why tho Democratic Ways or.d Means committee- of the House of UoprcsuitntlvcB should grant 'Tariff hcnrlngs" Is a mystery which remains ,o be solved. At thoso hearings men engaged In various Industries tell vhy thj thlnl: Import duties on vnrlou Unas of goods should or should no. :ie lowered low-ered or abolished, their point of vie' being tho effect which proposed changes will havo on American concerns con-cerns which manufacture or produc similar lines of goods In other wprds, tho testimony of tliojo who appear nt tho hearings reHtcs lev tho most part to tho degreo of tariff I rotectlon which should bo granted to tho Industries under consideration. Anneals nro mado for protection that vlll protect tho nifUiuriclmci, the pioduccr nnd tho wao cm nor, nnd P. o tests nro mado nga ns; such t inductions in-ductions as will cltitjr destroy the piotcctlon Bystcm or weaken It to tho point of InelllcU ie. All this Is very well, from tho standpoint of protectionists, but of what Interest enn It possibly bo to tho Democratic Ways nnd Means committee? com-mittee? Whnt docs that committeo en e whether or not u certain rnto of duty will bo protective? The Democratic party has repeatedly declared de-clared that protection Is "robbery" and ought to be cllmlnnted from our tnr.IT s)stem. In Its platform of last yenr theso two sentences stand out prominently: Wo dec'nro It to bo n fundamental P Indplo of tho Democratic party that tho Federal government, under the constitution, HAS NO IHGHT Oil POWER to Imposo nnd collect tariff duties EXCEPT FOR THE PURPOSE OF REVENUE. W. nppenl to th0 American peoplo to support us In our demand for a TARIFF FOR REVENUE ONLY. Adherence to tho prlnclplo thus of-llclnlly of-llclnlly laid down ns n sacred party doctrine would enable tho Ways and Means committee to formulnto, and tho Democratic CongrosH to onnct, a tariff having for Its only object tho raising of sufficient revenue to meot necessary government expenses. Tho tnsk woulr bo nhsolutely ensy. With ibo Internal revenue greatly onlttrs- cd by tho lncomo tax, tho amount lo bo raised by Import duties Is materially mater-ially reduced. Why not go ahead and Impose such duties, principally on non competitive articles Ilko coffee, tea, crudo rubber, and other things which wo must have but do not produce, pro-duce, nnd which, thorofore, would yield a rovenuo easily computed. What could bo moro simple, or more I strictly In accordance with tho Dem-oratlc Dem-oratlc confession of faith nnd tho official Democratic program? Why, then, havo "tariff Hearings' What does tho Democratic party cara for tho effect of this or that du y on this or that industry? Not a rnp, unless un-less It Ib a monumentnl liar. Tho situation Is grotcaaue. The Democrats Demo-crats aro collecting Information which cannot be of tho slightest use in con: structlng tho kind of tariff which they have, pledged themselves to construct. con-struct. Why nro they doing It? It. would bo Interesting to hear from-Chairman from-Chairman Underwood or President Wilson on tho subject, but It Is not-probublo not-probublo that cither of them will vouchsafe an explanation. |