The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996, 1897-07-03
PROSPERITY BEGUN.
Prospective Passage OF Tariff Bin
Has Set the Wheels Astir.
Talk OF Foreign Retaliation In Pro-
nounced without Foundation-Has
been Tried ON other Occasions
and Doesn't Scare Anybody.


| every ulltchAou hHcIc ulc uhtiifr lahabAe
evidences OF business activity and inn
proved conditions-these come from all
sections and all parties and all classes
of people. II Is the legitimate effect OF
the rapid work made on the tariff bill
which is likely TO become a law in few
days in spite of every effort Of the dem
ocrats TO defeat IL.
The Last Desperate Attack.
The democratic leaders. seeing that
ure, are now beginning to assert with
Mortified screams that it Is likely TO
seriously affect our foreign trade be-
cause of the fact that certain countries
have gone through the usual form of
making protests against II. But this
does not worry the experienced states
men here.
Similar protests have come to
them and to the government time
after time in former considerations
of tariff measures, and they have been
politely received, as these are. care
fully filled" in a convenient pigeon
hole and never heard from afterwards.
either in the framing of the bilI or in
their bearing upon future commercial
relations of these countries with the
United States.
This custom of filing protests against
pending tariff measures is altogether a
one-sided one. as relates 10 the United
/ States and the nations which have made
these protests. Tariff laws come and
go with other nations and the United
States pays not the slightest attention.
A protective system grows apace In Eu-
rope and elsewhere, and such nations as
France, Germany. Austria-Hungary,
Spain and others, which are now scold-
ing about our proposed new tariff, in
crease year by year, or from period to
period, their protective tariff rates, but
In all these cases the world over the
United States never entered a protest
of general character against anybody's
tariff laws or proposed tariff legislation.
There have been occasions in which at
tention of foreign governments has
been called to certain OF their laws or
regulations which seemed to bear I'M
justly upon single industry In the
United States or to discriminate against
the productions of this country as com
pared with those of other countries.
but there is no case on record in which
the government of the United States
has offered any protest TO n general
tariff measure proposed by other coun-
tries which would bear with equal
weight upon all nations sending their
produce 10 the markets OF those coun-
tries.
That any nation should assume to of
fer protest against a proposed law
by another nation, which law is to bear
with equal weight upon the produc-
tions of all nations. article by article,
seems rather absurd, but that these
protests should come from nations
which themselves have high and stead
lily growing protective tariff, adds
very much TO the interest not TO shy the
Impertinence of such a proposition. II
seems n little curious, for instance, 10
observe that Italy. which collects about
s., 100000 a year tariff on American pc
troleum, and equally high rates OIL
many other articles, should be offering
n protest, either officially or otherwise,
against tariff legislation by the United
States. Some people might suppose IL
trifile inappropriate that Germany,
which collects a tariff of $2s5.G0 per
hundred lkilos on certain grades OF
clothing and 1900, marks per hun
dred kilos on other articles of
a similar character, should be as
Stunning to offer a protest against tar
iif measures of any other country.
There might seem slight improperly
In protest from France which places
duty of $2so.50 per hundred kilos on
smoking tobacco and 5000 francs
per hundred kilos on cigars and cigar
cites. So also there might appear norea-
son for criticism from Spain, which in
her tariff places trifing duty OF 1900
pesctas on every four-seated coach or
calash imported and 975 pesetas on each
omnibus and diligence.
But there Is practical business side
10 this question of protests against our
tariff and especially as to the probn-
billty of any action following these pro-
tests. 1t is one thing TO make bluff
while a measure of this character Is
under consideration, and quite another
to call" the tariff and commercial hand
Of such n nation as the United States,
especially under the circumstances
existing in our commercial relations
with these countries which are report
ed as limiting at retaliation In case their
protests are not regarded. Among che
countries which are reported as offer.
ing objections. either officially, unof-
fcially, or In public prints in reference
TO our new tariff are Japan, China. Aus
tria-Hungary. Germany, France. Italy,
Turkey, Greece, Spain. Netherlands.
Switzerland, Argentine. Mexico. Cana
ola and possibly Brazil. Less than half
this number filed formal protests at
the state department, but there have
been sundry grumblings and mutfer-
ings among the others either in their
Legislative bodies, In the individual ut
/ teranccs of their Representatives here