The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1893-07-15
A Double-Action Theory

"Then again, in anticipation of the
tariff being thrown off, foreign merchants
are unloading just as many as possible of
their goods upon US.
That is one of the many exhibitions of
wisdom made by our self-sutficient morn
ing contemporary. It is one sentence of
very long but not very deep editorial on
the source of the business and financial
trouble now perplexing the country. 1t
is designed to convey doubt as to any i'll
effects being produced by the Sherman
law, and contains an elaborate disserta-
ton on the hackneyed Repu blican theory
that anticipations of free wool and other
raw material are the active causes of bus
mess, industrial and financial depression.
According to this theory, actual, ex-
listing, operating causes have no tangible
effect, while something that only exists
In anticipation-in the minds eye, as it
were, produces all the disturbances in
commercial, agricultural and manufac-
turing circles. Such profundity OF wig
dom finds fitting place for ventilation
in the columns of our morning contem-
porary.
This anticipatory spring of action
works two ways, it appears. One is, it
stops purchases by dealers and work by
manufacturers. What may be in year
or two, although it is not clear that then
il will affect them iniuriously, paralyzes
present American trade and effort. The
other is, it causes foreign dealers to I'M
load their goods upon this country.
ss.Prodigiousl"
One of the wise representations OF our
neighbor and other protectionists short
time ago was, that when what they chose
to call 'sfree trade'' should be inaugu-
rated, Europe would flood this country
with "cheap goods and cheap goods
always made ''cheap men, " we were told.
But it seems that foreign goods are al
ready being unloaded upon us in antici-
patton of reduction of the tariff.
Now, is not that little peculiar?
Apart from the natural desire OF all mer-
chants, native or foreign, at any and
every time to unload as many of their
goods as people will buy, why should
their be any special desire on the part of
foreign merchants to unload while the
high tariff still lingers.' If the taking
off of the tariff IS to be the means of
facilitating the flooding of this country
with goods from Europe, why should the
anticipation of that opening induce mer-
chants to commence flooding today,
when the duties remain and McKinleyism
rules at the custom house?
1t would seem that ON natural prin-
ciples the law of anticipation would in
this instance work thu other way. Afer-
chants abroad, ii tariff redu elton will
open the way for their flood of cheap
goods to this country, would surely wait
for that grand opening, as the wool men
here are said to be waiting, and not be
rushing forward to ''unloadn while the
protective tariff is in their way.
Logic never was our neighbours forte.
Assertion, sneeriug, invective and ego
tism are its ''main hold.'' In this in
stance it is once more observation-disclosures
and thus furnishes it's own reputation.
The anticipation theory will do very we'll
for party buncombe, but as an attempt
at reasoning it is a pitiable failure. When
tariff reform is at work our protectionist
friends will have some grounds on which
to base their complaints If there is no i'm
provement in general conditions; lust
now all their lamentations are reflections
against their own system and its effects
upon the community.