Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1901-06-07
A NEW TARIFF ARGUMENT.
indications of a Revolt Against
Protection Are Growing
More Plentiful

Re preventative Babcock, who intro
duced a bill in the last congress pro-
viding for the reduction and even the
removal of certain tariff duties, re-
ports that his policy is favored by
many manufacturers. However, there
is one argument which he uses, and
which others have used in favor of
lower duties, that may be used by
those who oppose more liberal trade
policy. We refer to the fact that our
manufacturers in many cases sell
more cheaply to foreigners than they
do to the people at home. That this
is unfair, and especially so from the
protectionist point of view, cannot,
of course, be denied. The American
people have taxed themselves for
years to build up and maintain certain
industries on the express understand
ing that ultima tely they would be able
to buy the products of those industries
at much lower price than would 9TH
erwise have been possible, and, there
fore, it seems most unj just for these
protected producers to charge those
who have protected them more than
they charge those against whom they
have been protected. We have, at
their request, given them practical
control of the home market, and now
we find them discriminating against
that market.
But in spite of all this it has al
ready been suggested that the people
ought to be willing to pay higher
prices than foreigners pay, because
by so doing they help our manufac-
turers to capture. foreign markets.
This matter has been made very clear
by foreign writer's. Only the other
day an English authority warned the
people of England that the competi-
ton of American trusts would be in
creasingly formidable as the years
passed. He argued that the monopo-
listic production in the United States
was of the most economic kind, and
that it was further helped by the tar
if, which enabled them to maks .
great deal of money in the home mar
ket. His theory was that they made
so much at home, behind the shelter
of the tariff wall, that they could At
ford to sell in foreign markets at oSsts
or even below it. Thus the effect os =
protective tariff, in trust-controlle6
market, may be to stimulate exports
by increasing the power of our export
ers to compete in foreign markets.
We have no doubt that this argu-
ment will be pushed vigorously by
those who are interested in keeping
up tariff duties. 1t will be said that
it is as important to develop trade as
it was to establish industries, and that
the former is as much public object
as the latter. Our favorable balance
of trade will be dwelt on with the ut
most. impressiveness, and it will be
attributed to the fact that our people
are willing to pay 'sa little more" for
their goods than they would have to
pay without the tariff, thus making it
possible for our manufacturers to
beat the foreigner even in his own
| market. 1t will be pointed out that
every dollars worth of goods sent out
of the country means the employment
of just SD much more labor. And we
shall be reproachfully asked whether,
for the sake of saving a little money
we are willing to shut up American
factories, or seriously curtaH their
operations, and throw American work
| ingmen out of employment. It will
not be easy for the converted protec-
tionists to meet such arguments. But
the revolt against protectionism is
bound to come. Every trust that is
organized in a protected industry will
| be an argument in favor of greater
commercial freedom. And every evil
dence of fear of American competition
| abroad will strengthen the American
people in their conviction that protec.
| ton is no longer needed Indianap.
| oils News Ond).
HOW ABOUT TEDDY?