Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1899-11-11

sphere 81 foreign policy, but not one
that need involve US In alliance with
Great Britain or III antagonism with
Russia. The statement of Count Cas-
SIM, the Russian ambassador, is sufl1-
GENTLY explicit on the latter point. In
the diplomatic game in China the
United States holds the better hand so
long as we keep our hands clear Of alli-
ances and pursue an
INDEPENDENT POLICY.
Neither Russia nor Germany will
stand in the way of our treaty rights
for fear of driving us into cooperation
with England. In Iother words an
Anglo-American alliance as posi-
bility, but not in fact. is the strong
card in our hand at Picking. This sit
uation is a stronger guarantee OF our
rights in China than any number of
assurances, either written or verbal,
for no nation will irrevocably bind its
future policy on vital matter, and
assurances are easily forgotten. Eng
land has had a number Of such under
standings with Russia, which have been
conveniently ignored when it was to
Russia's interest to do so.
In this connection the Bureau of
Statistics calls attention to the heavy
loss in our export trade to Japan due
to the latter's new protective tariff.
This loss has amounted to trifle over
Is per cent in the first seven months
of the present year. 1t has chiefly
affected exports Of cars and carriages,
cotton goods, railway iron, locomotives,
structural iron, hardware, lumber and
furniture. Japan evidently is now able
to furnish her own supply of these
things There is good reason to believe
that at no distant day China will be
able to do the same thing, there being
no reason why the Chinese should not
make everything they need, being
clever and competent workmen when
properly instructed. We may find, by
the time the Nicaragua canal is finish
ed that
THE GOLDEN VISION
of an illimitable Oriental trade ,has
vanished. At all events competition
for such trade as there is will be severe.
SO that it is unlikely to yield extraor-
binary profits.
1t is an interesting question what the
effect of this severe international COM
petition for foreign trade will have
upon the conditions of domestic work
ers. Already. in England, there are
strong hints that if that country is to
maintain her industrial supremacy her
workingmen must take fewer holidays
and possibly put in longer hours. Com
plant is made of the tyranny" OF
labor unions, by which is meant their
refusal to accept reductions in wages.
1t is pointed out that in the United
States hours OF labor are longer and
holidays fewer, so that the alarm OF
British manufacturers simply means
that they are beginning to think their
industrial salvation involves harder
terms of existence for labor. Is this
to be the outcome of the frantic inter-
national strife for foreign trade now
going on? If so, would not that ma
tional economy be best which undertook
the satisfaction of the wants of our
own inhabitants, the elevation of their
wages, the lessening of their hours Of
labor, the improvement of their homes
and social surroundings, rather than
petition for a foreign trade which must
inevitably tend to bind more closely
the letters of industrial slavery upon
the masses?
Henry o. Hayemeyer's testimony be-
fore the Industrial Commission, which
has just been published in full, con-
tains few sentences
WORTH REPRODUCING.
"The mother of all trusts" he says,
sis the customs tariff bill. The exist
ing bill and the preceding ones have
been the occasion of the formation of
all the large trusts, with very few ex-
ceptions, inasmuch as they provide for
an inordinate protection to all the in
terests of the country, sugar refining
excepted. Economic advantages incl
dent to the consolidation of large in
terests in the same line of business are
a great incentive to their formation,
but these bear very insignificant pro-
portion to the advantages granted in
the way of protection under the GUS
toms tariff. There probably is not an
industry that requires a protection OF
more than 10 per cent ad yalorem,
and it is to obtain what is provided
over such percentage in the tarlH that
leads to the formation of what are COM
monty spoken of as trusts. With a
protection to an industry not exceeding
10 per cent all menace to the commun-
ity from trusts would cease"
The significance of Mr.. Havemeyer's
remarks will be seen when it is stated
that the average ad valorem rate OF
duty on dutiable goods imported in the
fiscal year 1899 was 52.3S per cent, and
that the duties collected on certain lines
Of imports of manufactures were In
EXCESS OF 100 PER CENT,
even ranging, in an extreme case, on
small importation, to 1858 per cent.
For example, the average rate of duty
collected on cotton manufactures was
$500 per cent; on earthenware 65,92
per cent; on glass and glassware 60
nor cont. on iron and Sree1 az az ner