The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1891-06-18
CHE 9ttelEisetuer.
WHEELING. JUNE Is, 1891.
A German View OF Our Tariff Polit

a German view OF our IATlH IullCy'
Herr Won Siemens, OF Berlin, III a
strain Of complaint against our tariff,
pays handsome compliment to the
nel;cy Of which the.BfcKinley act is the
latest and best exponent His point is
that our tariff shuts out German manu-
iacturcs, and he thinks Germany will
have to retaliate.
It is tho aim Of q protective tariff to
give tho preference to home products,
and this end is more specifically and
scientifically sought in the Mckinley
act than in any other similar legislation
in our history. 1t is resulting in the
quickcning Of home manufactures to
take the place OF foreign, but it is not
shutting out as many foreign products
as it should.
If Herr Won siemens will consult the
record he will see that Germany con-
tinues to find in the United States n
large and profitable mnrkctfor her man
uiacturcs. This, OF course, is we'll
known in Germany, but German manu-
facturers and German economists per-
ceive in our persistent policy Of protec-
ton determination to persevere until
we shall have accomplished for our
commercial independence something
very near to thatwhich wehave brought
about for our political independence.
Our German friends complain further
that we threaten their commerce in
Central and South America, and this is
regarded as an act Of hostility. In n
sense every trader is hostile to every
other trader, for his effort is to sell his
own wares, not his rivals. Neither
Germany nor any other nation has any
special rights in Central and South
America which we are bound to respect
to the extent OF abstaining from enter
ing into competition in these neighbor-
ing countries. Moreover, the southern
republics prefer to deal with us if we
can suit them as well as to style and
price, and it it not especially unfriendly
onourpart to take business advantage
of that preference.
. Germany's apprehension that We may
take her place in trade with the south
ern republics will startle those Ameri-
can free traders who are of opinion that
our protective policy makes it imposi-
BILE TO get any considerable foothold in
the near lying foreign markets. II the
event is SO imminent as to cause Ger
many to mediate retaliation, it must
be recorded by Germany as far from
impossible.
As to the threat OF retaliation, that
does not move US. Germany has not
waited for the Mckinley act to show
hcr teeth. Not content with making a
demonstration through her tariff, she
has come at us with absolute prohibit
ton naked and undisguised save as to
tho cause. sheshut out our hog on the
pretext that no is not healthy animal
The fact is that the exclusion was
measure of protection to her hograis-
ing interest, so admitted to be by Ger
man statesmen who disseated from the
governments policy.
We had mover gone the length of alb
aolute prohibition against the products
Of friendly power, but in certain cases
wcmight well have done SO. For exam
pie, when Germany assailod our hog and
gave him bad name in the markets Of
tho world, We should have made no
bones of prohibiting her wines, wool
cns, silks, cloths, cutlery and enough
more miscellaneous odds and ends to
give her to understand that We are
something OF a trading nation our
selves.