Oakes Republican. (Oakes, N.D.) 1898-1906, 1901-10-11
The Pioneer Press on Tariff Revision.

Mr.. R. G.. Mackay says he "takes
issue with the Pioneer Press and
other leading republican journals on
the radical revision Of the tariff" He
is entirely mistaken. He takes issue
with imaginary propositions of his
own-not with any presented by the
Pioneer Press. So far as the Pioueer
Press is concerned it has never ad-
vocated any radical revision of the
tariff, if by radical is meant any de-
parturearom the principle of protec-
tion to American industries on which
it is based. What we advocate is a
reacjusLment of the tariff schedules
to the changed conditions of the pro-
tected industries since the Dingley
tariff was enacted, especially the abol-
ition Of such duties as are no longer
needed for protective purposes. Aud
this without reference to auy sup
posed economical relation between
che trusts and the tariff. We quite
agree with Mr.. Mackay that the
trusts are in nowise the offspring of
the tariff, that the reasons for their
existence and development are quite
independent of the tariff, and they
would continue just the same 80 long
as they are instruments of moro econ
omical production, whatever changes
might be made in the tariff But
there is strong political reason for
abolishing the protective duties m
trust.made articles which no longer
need protection. This reason isshat
a great many people have besnled to
believe that the tariff is ths mother
of trusts, and that the existence of
such gigantic combinations as the
United statessSteel .6fporation, for
example, is onlysmede possible by the
duties on steel fa1kics. It appears to
be the general yiaWsof those who have
investigated the matter that these
steel fabricsscan be, and as rule are,
produced mthis country at a less
cost thanh Europe, and that the
greaterss economies in the processes Of
production brought about by the
combination have SO reduced fke cost
that=the ability of the AmerieaRslnan-
ufacturer to compete successfully
With the foreigner is permanently vas
sured. If this is the case: the steel
industry no longer needs projections.
and the abolition of the duties on
this class OF steel products can do it
no harm. But so long as those du-
ties remain very. large number Of
people, including great many re-
publicans, will believe that the steel
trust derivesits life and sustenance
from the tariff. To abolish them
would relieve the republican party of
the odium resulting from this belief,
while it would at the same time af-
ford convincing demonstration of the
fact that the trust derived it's life and
strength from sources entirely inde-
pendent of the tariff. In other words
that the tariff is no support to the
trust in this instance at least. There
are cases, however as in the matter of
glass, where the trust takes advantage
of the high tariff on glass articles to
exact inordinate prices therefor. In
such cases, where it can be shown
chat competition is virtually abolish
ed and the industrial combination
has virtual monopoly of the market, it
would be good policy in the interests
of the consumer to reduce the tariff
80 as to compel q return to reason
able prices. But in the main it is on
political rather than on economical
grounds that the Pioneer Press urges
the readjustment of the tariff to the
ch anged conditions under which the
various industries of the country are
operated.
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