The record-union., 1897-05-29
THE DANGER OF DELAY.


States Senate upon the tariff bill report
ed by his committee is a very meaty
document 1t bristles with texts which
suggest sermons of the first interest
and value. But the chief of them is
the urgent need for speedy action of
some sort 1t is this feeling of uncer-
tainty and instability that is paralyz-
ing commerce and industry.
During the last campaign and since
the Record Union repeatedly ex-
pressed the opinion that no matter how
the tariff is adjusted, we will never
have as radical protection as has been
urged in the past, nor as stiff a demand
for free trade; that in fact the tendency
was toward conservatism and perma-
nency of the tariff. Senator Aldrich
dWells at length and with force upon
those two points. He declares that the
friends of a protective policy do not
insist upon extreme rates and that they
are not necessary to equalization. He
adds that the committee, while insist
ing upon thorough revision of the sched-
ules, hold that it should be carried out
in a conservative spirit, and that the
measure to be adopted shall be mod
crate and reasonable one. He later
referred to the fact that the rates pre-
scented by his committee are consider
ably below those of the House bill, yet
he says none of them have gone below
the protective point. The committee
wishes to enable American industry to
meet foreign competition on equal
terms just as far as equality can be Sc
cured by tariff legislation. But while
Congress delays importations are pour
ing in at an astonishing rate. Stocks
are being filled up that contemplate
several years siege of supply. Home
manufacturers are witnessing the in
put of masses of foreign goods that will
tend to block their industries for very
long time, since the disposition Of for
eign competitors appears to be TO un-
der-cut any possible production by our
own people for as long a time as is
possible.
What the country needs is speedy ad-
justment of this matter. Every day
lost adds to the uncertainty of home
business and augments the threat of
tighu times in all industries that come
into competition with foreign goods.
Unsettled conditions are not only foes
to commerce, but they threaten social
stability and If long continued may
precipitate serious troubles, due to the
bodies OF skilled workmen and pro-
ducers of raw materials.
AS the Senator well said the entire
country is in a state OF unrest and
suspension awaiting the action of Con-
gress> Frequent revisions of the tariff,
he added. are productive of long periods
of uncertainty and arrested develop
ment. That is a very mild statement
OF the truth. They mean much more
than he stated. They mean not only
commercial and industrial paralysis.
but they threaten the political and So
cial fabric This is not stating the mat
ter with any exaggeration. or in the
spirit of the alarmist. What the coun-
try needs most of all now is settlement
not debate; agreement upon schedules
that promise with reasonable certainty
to remain undisturbed until actual nee
essity under the guidance of experience
demands their revision.
That the Senate committee is not in
sensible to the dangers of delay is as
certained from the reference in Senator
Aldrich's speech to anticipatory impor-
tations which promise in the first year
under new schedule to largely reduce
the revenues. This deficiency the SEN
ator said the House committee had re-
ported would nevertheless be met if
the measure was passed by a specified
date But the Senate committee
thought the anticipatory importations
would be so great as to necessitate re-
sort to increase and renewal of internal
revenue levies and collections. He re-
ferred especially to the proposition to