Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-03-07

that our foreign markets 40 aDsQ-
lutely necessary for our industrial
prosperity. The danger that threatens
our markets abroad and the temper
OF foreign nations toward our Indus
trial aggressions are well exempliied
in the action OF Russia in imposing an
increase of thirty per cent. in the tar
if rates against the principal i'm
ports from the United States. This
was in retaliation for the countervail-
ing duty imposed on Russian sugar by
Secretary Gage, who claimed that he
acted because of an alleged indirect
export sugar bounty paid by Russia.
With regard to the latter, says the En-
gineering News: 1.-The United States
explains to Russia that even though
the Russian sugar consumers pay IT,
| it is a bounty just the same, and Rus
i STA replies with caustlc p%oliteness that
from that point OF view a large part OF
| the export trade of the United States
| is b~ounty-aided, since it is well known
that the American manufacturer, pro-
tected by the high tariff wall, charges
| the American buyer a much. hlghe
price than the foreign buyer. This is
| especially the case on goods whose
| production is in the hands OF a trust.
1t is the definite policy OF certain
x-.lt. - 1rJor 10 nov dividends ON
their watered capital, to extract from
the home consumer as high prices as
| he will stand and dump the surplus on
foreign markets for whatever it will
bring"
After demonstrating the fiat failure
| and false pretense involved in the re-
ciprocity humbug for which Republi.
can politicians claimed so much, our
| contemporary points out that some
| thing must be done. THE artificial
| stimulus afforded by protection has
built UP in the United States an enor-
nous productive capacity, much be-
yond the ability of this country alone
to absorb. Our foreign markets are
more and more necessary to keep our
mills and factories busy and prevent
| stagnation and idleness among en-
ployes, loss of wages and purchasing
power and consequent financial disas-
ter.
The manufacturers of the United
| states want the worlds market. They
are big enough and strong enough and
rich enough to compete with the man
u~facturers of any other nation, with
a fair field and no favors. The tariff
wall about the United States is no
longer needed to protect the infants
inside. These youngsters have out
grown swaddling clothes and bands,
kits and knickerbockers, and some of
them have developed such giant stat
ure as even to cause genuine alarm
to the mother which nursed them"
Two parties alone contend for the re-
tention of this high tariff wall. The one
is composed Of politicians and their fol-
lowing of voters to whom protection has
become a shibboleth, and who lave no
knowledge of the fact that the revolution
which the past ten years has wrought
in the industrial and financial system of
the United States demand a revolution
in the nations position toward interna-
tional trade. The other of these parties
is composed of the trusts, who find the
tariff wall a convenient aid in maintain
ing excessive prices to the home con-
sumner, while they dump their surplus on
foreign markets at prices fixed by inter
national competition.
Against these two parties we have
ranged, first. the great body of consumers,
to whom the exactions of the trusts have
! grown more obnoxious every year, and
who only wait the opportunity when the
issue shall be plainly presented to order
the complete overthrow of the tariff wall.
Occupying a scarcely less radical posi-
ton is a great body of independent manu-
facturers, who find themselves hampered
at every turn in ~endeavoring to build up
their foreign trade by the tariffs of for
eign countries, which are justified in each
instance by our own high duties. In adj
dition to this, they, too, find themselves
opiIStu ~ contribute lOWdIuS uiNlueHuS
on the swollen capitalization of the trusts
through the exorbitant prices which they
must pay for much of their raw mater
ials."
The Engineering News expresses a
forlorn hope that the new Congress
which meets in regular session next
December may afford some relief. But
our contemporary was never more mis-
taken in its life if it expects that body,
which will have a greater Republican
majority than ever. to raise a hand to
loosen the grip of the trusts on the
industrial situation, or to abate one
jot of their enormous unearned profits
in the interests of the American con-
sumner. No, indeed, it won't be that
kind of Congress. 1t will be more alb
jectly subservient to the trusts than
the body that has just expired. The
trust paid for its election, together
with that of the administration, and
the trusts own both in fee simple.
One of these days, however, the
broad common sense and common hon
esty Of the country may prevail over