Work in progress — cycles are added one at a time. Every quote is machine-verified against an archived source; follow the links to read it.
Issues › Trade & Tariffs
Tariff levels
Also known as: Protection (1789-1930); Free trade (1980-)
| Cycle | Candidate | Position | Solution | Strength | Attribution | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1932 | Alfred E. Smith (Democratic) | Endorsement of the Smoot-Hawley tariff | Accept the 1930 tariff rather than campaign against it — the position Raskob tried to write into party policy in March 1931. | directional_stance | reported | not_applicable |
| 1932 | Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democratic) | Revise the tariff downward through reciprocal trade agreements | Replace the Hawley-Smoot schedules with tariffs set "on the basis of a reciprocal exchange of goods": bilateral or group agreements letting other nations pay for American exports with goods that do not seriously unbalanc… | directional_stance | candidate_direct | kept |
| 1932 | Franklin D. Roosevelt (Democratic) | A "competitive" tariff set through a scientific Tariff Commission, with anti-log-rolling rules and a public counsel | Rates equalizing differences in cost of production — not prohibitory rates; restore the Tariff Commission as a fact-finding body reporting to Congress rather than the President; enact the vetoed 1932 bill making Commissi… | specific_pledge | candidate_direct | superseded |
| 1932 | Herbert Hoover (Republican) | Preserve the bipartisan Tariff Commission's flexible power to adjust rates without congressional log-rolling | Keep the 1930 act's flexible provisions under which the Tariff Commission recommends and the President adjusts rates up to 50 percent; oppose the Collier bill (vetoed) that would return rate-making to Congress. | specific_pledge | candidate_direct | not_applicable |
| 1932 | Herbert Hoover (Republican) | Unconditional most-favored-nation treatment; no reciprocal bargains or preferences | Keep the 'historic American plan' of equal, non-discriminatory treatment of all nations through reciprocal treaties guaranteeing equality of trade and residence; reject bargaining tariffs and concessions as 'unsuited to … | specific_pledge | party_platform | not_applicable |
| 1932 | Herbert Hoover (Republican) | Maintain — and if necessary widen — the protective tariff; reject the Democratic 'competitive tariff for revenue' | Keep the Hawley-Smoot schedules with adjustment through the bipartisan Tariff Commission; raise farm tariffs further if needed; refuse reciprocal bargains that would open the home market to foreign farm products in excha… | specific_pledge | candidate_direct | not_applicable |
| 1936 | Alf Landon (Republican) | Protect the farmer against imports of livestock, dairy and farm products; keep non-competing goods on the free list | Maintain protection on all commodities competing with American farms and industries, including quarantine against imports from countries with weaker sanitary rules; keep free-list items free. | directional_stance | candidate_direct | not_applicable |