The Globe-republican., 1902-11-20
WORDS OF WARNING
SOME PALACES OF LOPSIDED
PROTECTIONISM POINTED OUT.
Protection Is a Policy Designed for
the Benefit of the Country as
Whole and Not for the Advantage of
Special Interests

Special Interests
The Boston Herald of recent date
contained editorial Raw Ma
terials' in which the writer remarked:
The reason why there is outspok-
en- desire for free raw materials is the
obviously logical one that when duty
is imposed on raw material which
greatly increases its price it greatly
burdens the processes of manufacture
from the very first, and when under
such circumstances attempt to
compete in manufactured products
with nations which do not have their
industries thus handicapped we are
placed at a terrible Disadvantage
The outspoken desire to which the
Herald refers is only heard in New
England, and it speedily becomes
hushed when the manufacturers of
that section are reminded, as they
have been at times, that the parts of
the country which produce raw mate
rails will not waive the protection on
their products and permit the New
Eng1anders to retain the tariff man
ufactured articles Once before the
West gave New England a sharp re-
minder on this point, and it will be
apt to repeat its warning if the Pro
tectionists'' of that section do not
thoroughly learn the lesson that the
policy is designed for the benefit of
the whole country and not alone for
the New England states
But it is not. true that the demand
for free raw materials is inspired by
the desire spoken of by the Herald.
Eugene N FOSs, a candidate for Con-
gress in a Massachusetts district, gave
the real reason few days ago in
speech made by him at Jamaica Plain,
when he said:
Il believe that unless there is
adjustment of the tariff on the lines of
freer raw material the next ten years
will see our great shoe manufacturing
establishments, our cotton and wooden
mills, our iron and steel plants march
out of New England to the West,
where they will get their wool and
hides at their door; to the South.
where they will pick the cotton from
the fields; to Pennsylvania and Ohio,
where they will dig the iron and coal
from the mountain side and transform
them on the spot to the manufactured
article
Here we have the true motive. Fear
that the manufacturers of the West
may enjoy advantage of those of
New England is at the bottom OF the
movement, and not any well grounded
belief that free raw materials would
mean cheaper products for the Ameri-
can consumer. But does Mr.. FOsS
imagine for a single moment that the
West, having plain notice served upon
it that the protection for it's peculiar
products will be struck at, will not
strike at Massachusetts in return? He
must be afflicted with brain softening
if he thinks wool can be attacked an
wooden manufactures go unscathed.
But it is not to call attention to the
lopsided ideas of the alleged Massa-
chusetts protectionists that Mr.. Foss'
remarks are quoted. They are simply
cited to emphasize an assertion which
| the Chronicle has frequently made,
that the symmetrical application of
the protective dostrine is sure to
prove economical in the long run Mr.
| Foss unconsciously points out the
method when he says that the effect
| will be to build up great manufactur-
ing industries in the West. That is
| what it all tends to, and very properly.
| The center of population has moved
| westward steadily, and the center of
| the manufacturing industry is pursu-
| ing it closely. This accomplishes the
| highly desirable result of eliminating
waste. 1t must be obvious if the West
Mr. Foss implies has iron ore and
wool and accessible supplies of raw
cotton, and works them up in mills
near the fields of production, an IN
necessary double carriage will be
avoided, and that means an immense
saving to the vast body of consumers
living in the central sections of our
Union.
And that is the prOfessed purpose of
protection. It's object is to bring the
workshop and consumer close togeth er
whenever it can be done prohtabIy
That it can be in the central section Of
the Union Mr. FOss makes quite clear
when he dwe1ls the fact that TIL e
West has cheap raw materials, plenty
of fuel and foodstuffs and a big popu-
lation, capable of supplying skillfu1
workers in abundance and able to CON
sumo a vast quantity of what they
produce.-San Francisco Chronicle
TARIFF COMMISSION