Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1901-07-12
TO REDUCE THE TARIFF.
Growth of the Idea Among Repub'
licnns That There Has BseB
Too Much Protection.

Discussing Vice President Roose-
Felt's reference to the success OF the
tariff, the Hartford Courant mentions
tin plate as striking illustration Of
the development that a protective
tariff can accomplish" 1t recalls that
free traders greeted the idea of pro.
teetive tariff on tin plate with derisive
bowls. This may be so. Free traders
do not monopolize wisdom. They are
made up of poor, erring mortals, just
as protectionists are, but as q general
proposition we do not know that any.
one denied that protection, if sufti-
cient, could accomplish its purpose.
To use the oft,used illustration, we
may raise bananas in Minnesota with
sufficient protection. But has not the
tin plate argument proved too much?
1t has undoubtedly been great thing
for the tin plate trust, and some In
diana citizens have become multimil-
lionaires because of it; but if the
whole history of the industry were
written. and it were possible to count
the COST, could it be said that the tin
plate tariff was wise?
= This is the whole question as to
protection. 1t is not whether it can
| accomplish the thing in view, but
whether it may not, in the words Of
the proverb, make us pay "too dear
for our whistle" and whether an en-
terprisipg people would not in thu
long run, prosper more greatly by the
development that they would natnpal-
ly make. But this, too, is merely
academic, for we have protection;
have had it in the modern sense since
the civil war. II we get back to the
original sense only we may be thank
full, and there are signs Of promise
in that direction. Thus the Courant
says.
ut would have been well II Mr.. Roose-
Welt had carried his felictations step
| further and had pointed out that pros
| tectiye tariffs are means to an end ana
| that when protected interest reaches
such prosperity and growth as to build
up a trust and control the markets OF
| the country, then protection has done its
| work and should be removed from that
particular industry The purpose of pro-
| lection is to enable an industry to establish
| itself SO that 1t can get along without pro-
lection. When 1t reaches that point. then
there is no further need of projection.
There is no question that establishing q
| trust to control the whole country Is eyt=
dence conclusive that the infant industry
| period has passed. And there Is no doubt
1 that certain industries still benefited by
heavy protective tariffs are combined in
trusts. and are using the tariff to make
| America pay more than the rest Of the
| world for goods and to add to their OWL
| ample profits. This Will not be tolerated
after It is understood"
Thus the idea is growing that in
many directions there has been pro.
lection too much, and the time has
come when it must be abated. This
necessarily involves the recognition
| at the doctrine of protection. that the
republican party originally espoused
-protectiop as means toward free
trade, as temporary expedient, not
as permanent policy.
1t ts already matter of general OBJ
servation that the republican party
will be compelled to abate the tariff
The effort will not be easy nor viii
| success crown it at first. The self-in
terest that has secured the tariff will
be strong to maintain it, but with the
opposition at home. and with the NO
cessities for going abroad, It seem!
certain that we are on the eve of re
duation of the tariff in many particu
lars.-Indianapolis News Qnd.).
Il