The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-05-10
TARIFF AND TRUSTS.
Testimony of Edward Atkinson Be
fore the Industrial Commission

Edyard Atkinson, Of Boston. was wit
| ness before the Industrial Commission
this moTADg- Mr.. Atkinson read a lengthy
| paper on the subject of Tariff and
| Trusts" He introduced his subject with
{ the statement that industries in the
| United States had advanced beyond their
! infancy and did not further need 10 be
! fostered by d protective tariff
| The consolidation of industries into large
| concerns, he asserted. did not interfere
with the establishment of smaller con
Germs The department stores were not
absorbing the smaller stores, and in large
industrial centres, where the department
stores are found, smaller stores were more
numerous thar ever before. The same he
said, he knew to be the case with big
workshcps-the smaller workshops had
grown III number, especially in the South.
Reviewing the mechanical arts, Mr.. At
kinson said that practically none of them
were subjected to foreign competition
The same result was deduced in the field
of agricultural products. Mr. Atkinson
claimed that if the tariff was removed
from sugar, which England now contem-
plates taxing, the United States would
supply the markets of the world with
canned fruits and condensed milk IN
considering the position of wool, as one
Of the principal objects of foreign com
petition, 3Ir. Atkinson indicated by sta
tistiCs that American wool was an inffni-
tesmal factor in the commerce of the
United States and the quality of the pro-
ducts from the American raw material
was so inferior that all revenue from its
sale was derived from export, as little Of
it could be disposed of in America
tat - Al. I
that only per cent of the population Of
the United States was protected by tax
on foreign imports, while over 50 per cent
paid that tax Mr.. atkinson challenged
the scrutiny and comparison Of his figures.
The larger part of American imports, he
said, were handmade textiles, dependent
upon fashion and style These, he con-
sidered proper subjects for import duty
He advocated closer commercial union
with Great Britain, and stated it as his
belief that the European countries, Rus
sia included, would eventually combine in
commercial war against the English
speaking races An alliance with Great
Britain he considered as to be desired By
the United States. The effect of this, ne
asserted, would be the surrender of the
trade Of the world to the United States
and Great Britain
MI ALCGlSOn TGldLeG interview ne
had with the late Premier of England. Mr.
Gladstone. who then confessed his fear
of the time when America would adopt
free trade. although he believed that in
the end It would be best for both
countries Statements made to Govern
ment officials in the past, that reduction
Of 50 per ceEst in the tariff scale would not
reduce the revenues more than Is per
cent, he said, had been fully Justified by
subsequent experience.
Alleged errors in the tariff classical
ton were indicated by Mr.. Atkinson.
Under agricultural products, he said, the
tariff had scheduled such items as -four
and under manufactures, crude materials
such as petroleum oils He proposed a
new classification under the titles Of
products OF the field, the mines, the farm,
etc Pointing out the unexpected increase
in the rev anues produced by the Irnposi-
ton of the war tax during the late Spani-
ish war. Mr.. atkinson said that the
necessities OF war had taught the AmerI-
can people how 10 collect from five or six
articles, without injury to any one. suf-
fcient revenue TO run the Government
The tariff, he stated. affects but d small
percentage of the industries Of the world,
and the greater industries might wend
JtiS4E way ESStEutSsS OL OF despite the Tar
if. With free trade, America, he beIiev-
ed, would compel competing nations of the
world either TO disarm their soldiers or
to starve- Nations requiring immense
revenues to be gained by taxation to sup
port non-produciug armies, would find
themselves unable TO compete with a na-
ton without an army. and. in this
respect, free trade would be the greatest
factor in the world for peace