The Washington times., 1901-10-29
Reciprocity and the Tariff.


The most extreme advocate of pro-
lection should unhesitatingly accept
the Hon. John A. Kasson as fairly
good authority upon commercial condi-
tions as they now exist. This gentle
man recently addressed the Manufac-
turers' Association of Illinois on the
subject of reciprocity. His speech was
carefully prepared. and presented an
array of facts that is full of instruc-
ton and which ought to be of interest
to men of every shade of opinion con-
cerning the tariff. Mr.. Kasson spoke
as an old-time rretectionist but he
clearly recognized the truth, which is
self-evident, that the high tariff argu-
ments of past decades fail to fit the ex-
isting situation.
Every well informed person knows
that the basic idea upon which our
tariff policy was formed. and upon
which it was defended for years, was
simply the protection of the American
producer in the home market. The ar
glment was that Europe, with its ac-
cumulated capital and low-priced labor,
could turn out goods more cheaply than
they could be manufactured here, and
unless this difference in cost were
equalized by requiring the payment of
duties upon the foreign goods imported
il would fill the America market,
and prevent our manufacturers from
ever getting a start These duties
should be just equal to the difference
in the cost of production-such was the
argument No champion of protection
had the hardihood. thirty years ago.
publicly to contend that the duties
should be prohibitive on anything. The
American manufacturers were to be
given an equal chance, nothing more.
Had the statement been made that the
purpose of the tariff was to shut for
eign goods out entirely, and give the
American manufacturers a complete
monopoly, it is safe to say that the
party advocating ii would never have
had chance to crystalline such a prop
osition into law. The idea Of ''preserv-
ing" the home market, in the exclu-
siVe sense, is of later growth, and it
only became general among believers
in the tariff when the manufacturers
country with misleading literature, and
shape the tariff policy of the Republi-
can party almost at will
From the first IL was clear that the
United States possessed advantages in
the way of raw material, and cheap
fuel which went far toward offsetting
the difference in labor ccst; but the
high tariff advocates entirely ignored
these advantages. and under the spe
cious plea of protecting the American
wage-earner they have set the duties
at the highest rates which they
thought the people would stand. 1t goes
without saying that such policy
would stimulate manufactures in this
country. 1t could not do otherwise.
Equally certain is ii that the stimula-
ton of these industries would be at the
expense OF those engaged in other pur-
suits Nothing can blink this obvious
truth. and the wrong which it involves
cannot be justified by glowing eulogies
upon the country's growth and pro-
gress. A rank injustice cannot be CON
verted into a right by showing how
rich the country is in the aggregate.
But We have now reached a point at
which no sophistry can conceal the
actual situation. our Infant indus
tries" have grown into giants. Many
of them are now capable of not only
meeting the home demand upon their
respective lines. but Of producing a
large surplus for export. With respect
TO these products it is no longer le-
gitimate question Of protecting them
in the home market. but it Is the find
ing of foreign markets for their sur
plus. This Mr.. Kasson proposes 10 do,
and at the same time enable them TO
increase that exportable surplus, by re-
ciprocity treaties. His plea is "A strong
one. For example, referring to our
treaty with France, he shows that
we received by 1t very much more than
we gave. Our concessions only amount
ed to five per cent of the present duties
while those made by France amounted