The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1902-12-04


authority 20 make an laws necessary ard
= -oper Tor cNecutlrg this power. and am
sltisfied that this power has not been cx-
hausfed hr any legislation now on tho
that evils restrictive Of commercial free
dom and entaiiia~ restraint un0n national
commerce fail within the rcgulative pow
or or tae congress and that wise and
reasonable law would he "a necessary nd
proper exercise OF congressional authority
icated.
] believe that nonopolies unjust dis
criminni Ions. which prevent or cripple
competition. fraudulent ovcrcanftalization
and other evils in trust organiza ;ions and
practices which injuriousiy anect inter-
.',, s.',.e trsoS ~ can DC prevented under the
power OF the congress 20 regulate COM
,aaeree VITA foreign nations and among
ua ~ua requirements operating directly upon
slcn commerce. the Observation-Disclosures
hereot and those engaged therein.
earnestly recommend this euhfnct 70 tho
consicerauon OF the congress with view
70 the passage Of law reasonable in iis
provisions and effective in its operations
upon which the questions can bc nnalI,
adJudicated that now raise doubts as ~
the necessity OF constitutional a~,s-,
ment. II 1t prove impossible TO ncco,r-
plish the purposes above set forth hv such
shrink from amending the constitution 50
power sought
The congress has not heretofore made
any appropriation FOR The better enforce
mcnt OF the antitrust law as a. now
department of Justice in securing tho en-
/ iorcemcnt OF this law. but much more
/ special appropriation for this pUrpos@ 10
/ De expended under the direction OF The
one proposition advocated has been the
reduction Of the tariff as mems of
reaching the evils or the trusts which tan
Not merely would this be wholly inefIec-
i've. but the diversion OF our Efforts In
such a direction would mean the sban-
donment OF all intelligent attempt TO do
away with these evils. Many OF the lar
should certainly De Included Ia any proper
kcn"nc or regulation. would mot be az
tcctcd In the slightest degree by a chance
fered with the general prosperity OF th~
country. The only relation OF The tari.T
10 big corporations as "a whole - that the
tarin makes manufactures profitable and
We We tarin remccN proposed woiId be Ia
proutable- To remove the tariff as 4
punitive measure directed against trusts
weaker competitors who are sfruut-sinc
against them. our aim should be NOT bv
unWise tariu changes 10 give foreign prod
49, 49, ths SuNanlaBc over domestic prod
ucts, but by proper regulation 10 give do
tnls eno cannot be reached by any tarlI
changes which would affect unraVorablv
az donsstc competitors. good and bad
alihe. 4 ne question OF regulation OF the
tarin revision.
Stability OF economic policy must al
ways be the prime economic need OF this
country This stability should not be foe-
silizstion. Tho country has acduiesc,d
In the wisdom OF the protective tarin
principle. II ia exceedingly undesirable
mat this system should De destroyed or
changes therein. our past experience
shows that great prosperity in this coun-
trS mas aiwoy = come under protective tar
IN and that tho country cannot prosper
under utful tarin changes az short inter
whole work well ana II btlsi ,-ess ms I,os.
pcred under them and is prospcring it Is
better 10 endure for q time slight incon-
nSS.lleiiiteS ana Inequalities IN some schel-
ules than TO upset business by too quick
ana 100 radical changes- IL Is most ear
the tarin from the standpoint solely OF
our business needs. IL is. perhaps too
mHch 10 nope that partsanship may be
entirely excluded from consideration OF
the subject but at .east IL can be made
secondary TO the business interests of an.
country that is To the interests OF our
people as a whole. OnQuestionably these
business interests viii best bss scrved h
together with nXity OF principle as re-
CARDS the tarim we combine a system
which viii permit US from time to time to
make the necessary reapplicatiOn OF the
principle 20 the shifting national needs
We must take scrupulOus care that the
that IL VIII not amount 70 dislocation OF
our system. the mere threat of which. not
c9ce paralysis In the business energies
OF the community. The first considera-
ton in making these changes would. OF
course, De 10 preserve the principle hich
underl!es our whole tarim system-that IS
the principle OF putting American busi-
ness interests at least on full equality
with interests abroad and of always al
lowing n sufhclent rate of duty TO more
than cover the difference between tho
labor cost here and abroad The well be
ing OF the WageWOrker like the we'll be-
ing OF the tilier Of the soil should be
treated as an essential In shaping our
whole economic policy. There must never
be any change which viii jeopardize the
standard OF comfort. the standard OF
wages OF the American wageworkcr
one way in which the read1ustment
treaties II is greatly to be desired that
such treaties may be adopted. They can
be used to widen our markets and 10 give
a greater 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 Tor 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
II it prove impossible 10 ratify the pend
ing treaties and If there seem to De no
warrant for the endeaVor TO execute 9TH
ers or 10 amend the pending treaties so
that they can be ratified then the same
cnd-to secure recprocity-should be met
by direct legislation.
Wherever the tariff conditions are such
that a needed change cannot with advan-
tage be made by the application Of the
reciprocity idea. then n can be made out
right by q lowering Of duties on a given
product n possible. such change should
be made only after the fullest considera-
tion by practical experts. who should ap-
proach the subject from a business stand
point. ndNink IN view botl the particular
interests affected and the commercial well
being Of the people as whole The ma
ch.ncry for providing such careful invcs-
tigation can readily he supplied. The cx-
ecutive department has already at its
disposal methods Of collecting facts and
figures. and IL the congress desires acdi-
tionaf consideration to that which will be
given the subject 10y its own committees.
then a comm lssiou Of business experts can
be appointed whose duty it should be 90
recommend action by the congress after
q deliberate and scientific examination OF
the various schedules s. they are affected
by the changed and changing conditions.
The unhurried and unbiased report cf this
commission would show what changes
should be made in the various schedules
ana now far these changes could go with
out also changing the great prosperity
which this cofntfy is NOW crlOying or
upsetting its hxcd economic policy.
The cases IN which the toriu can pro.
dtce monopoly are so few as 10 constl-
tute an inconziderable factor In the QufS-
ton; bnt OF course. 81 in any caSc Il be
found that q given rnfc OF duty does pro-
mote a monopoly which WORKS iil. no pro-
tcctiOnlst would object to such reduction
oe the duty would esllaliSe rcrnpetiffCn