Waterbury Democrat., 1902-12-02

merce with Foreign nations and among
such commerce, the he a instrumenftai iRea;
earnestly reeomme mend this subject sa; to the
i consideration of the congress with a view
to the passage Of law reasonable as n its
| upon which the questions can be finally
adjudicated that now raise doubts as to
ment. If it prove impossible to accom-
| plish the purposes above set forth by such
] a law, then assured1y we should not
shrink STSIn amending the constitution so
as to secure beyond peradyenture the
power sought.
| any appropriation for the better enforce
ment of the antitrust law as it now
| stands. Very much has been done by the
department of Justice in securing the en-
| forcement of this law, but much more
could be done if congress would make a
| be expended under the direction of the
| attorney general
reduction of the tariff as means Of
reaching the evils of the trusts which fall
Not merely would this be wholly ineffec-
| tive. but the diversion of our efforts in
doGn M s MGHad mean fqe 1ne M
| away with these evils. Many of the lar
! gest corporations. many of those which
scReme Of regnlation. Would not nt be b0e af-
fected in the slightest degree by . change
in the tariff, save as such change inter
fered with the general prosperity of the
country. The only relation of the tariff
] to big corporations as whole is that the
| the tariff remedy proposed would be in
effect simply, to make manufactures I'M
punitive measure directed against trusts
would inevitably result in ruin to the
against them. Our aim should be not BY
| unWise tariff changes to give foreign prod
ucts, but by proper regulation to give do
this end cannot be reached by any tariff
| all domestic competitors. good al~ bad
| alike The question of regulation of the
tariff revision.
Stability. of economic policy must al
ways be the prime economic need Of this
Situation The country has acquiesced
in. the wisdom of the protective tariff
that this system should be destroyed or
| that there should be violent and radical
changes 81, therein 1 Our past e fSRI e
| try has always come undera protective tar
iff and that the country cannot prosper
| gals. Moreover, if the tariff laws as a
whole work well and if business has pros
pered under them and is prospecting, it is
VenienceS and Inequalities in some sched-
and too radical changes. 1t is most ear
nestly to be wished that we could treat
the tariff from the standpoint solely of
much to hope that partisanship may be
entirely excluded from consideration of
secondary to the business interests Of the
country-that is. to the interests of our
Ta9 viii beat ba 5gyv taeif
| together with fixity of principle as re-
CARDS the tariff We combine system
make the necessary reappiication of the
principle to the shifting national needs.
We must take scrupulous care that the
made a
that it will not amount to a dislocation of
our system the mere threat of which, not
dgce paralysis in the r., business 3 ne energies
ton in making these changes would, OF
course, be to preserve the principle which
underlies our whole tariff systenn-that is.
ness al at east On
with interests abroad and Of always al
6e ae OF dutK ee fe
Plabcr cost here and abroad. The well be-
ing of the wageworker, like the well be-
treated as an essential in shaping our
whole economic policy. There must never
Be on hh will the o
wages, of the American wageworker.
One way in in r Which the
treaties. 1t is greatly to be desired that
such treaties. may be adopted. They can
a gre; er field for the activities of our
producers on the one hand, and on the
other hand to secure In practical shape
the lowering of duties when they are no
longer needed for protection among our
own people or when the minimum of dam
age done may be diSregarded for the sake
of the maximum of good accomplished.
If 1t prove impossible to ratify the pend
ing treaties and if there seem to be no
warrant for the endeayor to execute 9TH
erS or to amend the pending treaties SO
that they can be ratified, then the scme
| end-to secure reciprocity-should be met
Wherever the tariff conditions are such
= IOI .1Iaa n
! tage be made by the application of the
! reciprocity idea, then it can be made out
right by lowering of duties on a given
product. If possible, such change should
! be made only after the fullest considera-
/ ton by pra ctical experts, who should ap-
I proach the subject from a business stand
/ interests affected and the commercial well
i being Of the people as a whole. The ma
! chinery for providing such careful inYes-
| tigation can readily be supplied. The ex-
sacutive department has already at it's
| disposal methods of collecting facts and
figures, and if the congress desires addi-
I tional consideration to that which will be
| given the subject by It's own committees.
/ then a commission of business experts can
/ be appointed whose duty 1t should be to
recommend action by the congress after
i q deliberate and scientific examination of
i the various schedules as they are affected
/ by the changed and changing conditions.
The unhurried and unbiased report of this
1 commission would show what changes
i should be made in the various schedules
/ and how far these changes could go with
i out alco changing the great prosperity
which this country is now enjoying or
1 upsetting its fixed economic policy.
The cases in which the tariff can pro-
i dl1ce monopoly are SO few as to consti-
! tute an inconsiderable factor in the ques-
ton; but of course, if in any cGse it be
4 found that a given rate of duty does pro-
] mote monopoly which works Ill, no pro-
4 tectionist would object to such reduction
of the duty. as would equalize competition.
In my judgment the tariff on anthracite
! coal should be removed and anthracite
put actually, where 1t now is nonlinally,
i on the free list. This would have no effect
i at all save in crises; but in crises it might
4 be of service to the people.
Interest rates are q potent factor In
! business activity. and in order that these
; rates may be equalized to meet the vary
i ing needs of the seasons and OF widely
] separated communities, and to prevent the
/ recurrence of financial stringencieS which
| injuriously affect legitimate business, 1t
/ is necessary that there should be ele-
rnent of elasticity in our monetary sys-
/ commerce, and upon them should be
| placed, as far as practicable, the burden
| of furnishing and maintaining a circula-
ton adequate to supply the needs of our
| diversified industries and of our domestic
| and foreign commerce, and the issue of
/ this should be regulated that Suffi-
/ cfent supply should be always available
1t would be both unwise and unneces-
/ sary at this time to attempt to recon
struct our financial system, which has
been the growth of century, but some
/ additional legislation is think, desirable
The mere outline of any plan sufficiently
comprehensive to meet these requirements
would transgress the appropriate limits
I +IoiS oor,1ro11f1fca tim # f. cfI0ppS f,od