The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1901-04-26
TARIFF RETALIATION
ALARMS CONJURED UP BY
FREE TRADERS.
No Basis In Fact or Probability for
Their Predictions Regarding tho For
matiol OF II European Trade Alliance
Against the United States

Those who so confidently prophesy
foreign tariff combinations against the
United States may be rightly suspect
ed of allowing their wishes to influence
their judgment. Apparently they would
like to see what they expect to see. The
dire possibilities of international trade
war are conjured up by free-traders
and former protectionists as the
strongest possible argument-indeed,
J the only possible argument-in favor
/ of the abandonment by the United
/ States of the protective policy. So we
are told nearly every day that Euro
pean countries are conducting secret
negotiations looking toward trade
combine against this country, and that
our only safety in this emergency is
to repeal the Dingley law and get right
down to an unrestricted trade basis.
First of all. there is no evidence
whatsoever of the existence of a plot
to form continental tariff alliance
against the United States. Still less evil
dence is there of the contemplation of
European alliance. If European
combine should be attempted. Great
Britain would have to be left out of it,
and Great Britain is very much the
best customer the United States has
among European countries. England
must have our foodstuffs and raw ma
terials, and she is not going to join
anybody in scheme whose object is
to make these commodities cost more
in the British market
Coming to the possibility of CONT
mental combine. we find little more
likelihood of it on the continent than
in Great Britain. Germany has been
making some experiments along the
line of; discrimination against Ameri-
can products, and her experience is in
structive. Consul Diedrich writes from
Bremen to our state department some
pertinent facts relative to the opera
ton of the inspection law whereby i'm
portations of American corned beef
and other beef products are prohibited.
Not long ago DR.. Karl Frankel, pro-
fessor of hygiene in the University of
Halle, declared that this law is moth
ing more than cloak, faded and worn.
hung over the agrarian idol. He show
ed that while the government had de-
clared that the passage of the law was
required in the interests of public
health, nothing suffered more from
said law than did the public health of
the nation. The prevailing high prices
of meat necessarily lessened its con-
sumption, while the health of the ma
ton demanded an increase" AS a
matter of fact, fully one-half of Ger
many's population is to-day suffering
hardships by reason of such tariff dis
elimination as Germany has thus far
seen fit to impose against American
foodstuffs in obedience to the demands
of the German agricultural interests,
and it does not seem probable that the
situation will be subjected to any ad-
ditional strain Of the same sort
Excepting Russia, all the continental
countries of Europe are more or less
dependent upon the United States for
their food supplies and certain raw ma
terials; while Russia, albeit independ-
ent of us in the matter of subsistence.
must either buy considerable line of
manufactured products from us, or else
pay a higher price for them elsewhere
The situation and outlook as to a Eu-
ropean trade alliance of any kind
against the United States are we'll
summed up by the Baltimore Herald,
as follows:
when it comes to building uni
versal tariff walls, this country might
suffer depression in trade, a slacken-
ing in industrial progress; but Europe
would sustain from such a course not
stagnation alone, but utter prostra-
ton. In any case, we would have an
abundance of all things for the home
supply. Another result would soon en-
sue-the underfed millions of Europe
would begin to swarm to our shores in
an increasing ratio, looking for relief
from unbearable home conditions. If
any nation can stand alone and depend
entirely upon her own resources, this
nation can. Most surely in the squeeze
of a tariff war we should not be the
fret m cry ouitS "