Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1902-12-11

sit supine on the plea that under our De-
! culiar system of government we are help
less IN the presence of the new conditions
I anu Unable 10 grapple With them or 10 cut
Out Whatever or EVIL has arisen in conneo
ton with them. The power of the con
gress 10 regulate Interstate commerce is an
absolute ami unqualified grant, and with
OUT limitations other than those prescribed
oy the constitution. The congress has con-
stitutional authority to make all laws nee
i essary and proper for executing this pow
er, and | am satisfied that this power has
! NOT Deeh exhausted by any legislation now
on the statute books. 1t is evident, there
/ fore, that evils restrictive of commercial
freedom and entailing restraint upon ma
| tlonal commerce fall within the regulative
/ power OF congress, and that wise and
/ reasonable law would be a necessary and
/ proper exercise of congressional authority
| to the end that such evils should be Grad
icated.
| believe that monopolies unjust dis
! examinations, which prevent or cripple
! competition. fraudulent oyercaptaliZation,
/ and other evils in trust organizations and
practices which injuriOusly affect inter
state trade can be prevented under the
| power of the congress to regulate COM
| merce with foreign nations and among the
| several states" through regulations and re-
| quirements operating directly upon such
| and those engaged therein.
| earnestly recommend this subject to the
consideration of the congress with a view
| provisions and effective in its operations,
| upon which the questions can be finally
/ adJudicated that now raise doubts as to
the necessity of constitutional amendment.
| If ii prove impossible to accomplish the
purposes above set forth by such a law.
| then, assuredly, we should not shrink from
amending the constitution so as to secure
! beyond peradventure the power sought
NO TARIFF REMOVAL.
One proposition advocated has been the
reduction of the tariff as means of reach
ing the evils of the trusts which fall with
in the category | have described. Not
merely would this be wholly ineffective,
but the diversion of our efforts in such a
direction would mean the abandonment of
these evils. Many of the largest corpora
tions, many of those which should certain
ly be included in any proper scheme of
regulation, would not be affected in the
slightest degree by change in the tariff,
save as such change interfered with the
general prosperity of the country The
lions as a whole is that the tariff makes
manufactures profitable, and the tariff
remedy proposed would be in effect sim
ply to make manufactures Improbable.
To remove the tariff as a punitive meas
ure directed against trusts would newt
ably result in ruin to the weaker compel
itors who are struggling against them.
| Our aim should be not by unwise tariff
| changes to give foreign products the adj
vantage over domestic. products, but by
proper regulation to give domestic compe-
| tition fair chance; and this end can not
| be reached by any tariff changes which
would affect unfavorably all domestic com
| petitors, good and bad alike. The question
| of regulation of the trusts stands apart
from the question of tariff revision.
| Stability of economic policy must always
/ be the prime economic need of this coun-
| try. This stability should not be FOSSIL
cation. The country has acquiesced in the
| wisdom of the protective,tarif principle.
| 1t is exceedingly undesirable that this syS-
| tenn should be destroyed or that there
| should be violent and radical changes there
in. Our past experience shows that great
| prosperity in this country has always
come under a protective tariff; and that
| the country can not prosper under fitful
tariff changes at short intervals. More
| over, if the tariff laws as a whole work
well, and if business has prospered under
! them and is prospecting, it is better to en-
| dure for time slight Inconvenience and
) inequalities in some schedules than to up.
! changes 1t is most earnestly to be wished
that we could treat the tariff from the
standpoint solely of our business needs. 1t
! is, perhaps, too much to hope that parti
/ sanship may be entirely excluded from
! consideration of the subject, but at least
| it can be made secondary to the business
interests of the country-that is, to the in
| terests of our people as whole Unques
| tionably these business interests will best
| be served if together with fXity of prin
| ciple as regards the tariff we combine 9
| system which will permit us from time tC
! time to make the necessary Feapplicatior
of the principle to the shifting nationa
/
| the reapplication shall be made in such 6
| way that it will not amount to q disloca
| tion of our system, the mere threat OF
/ which mot to speak of the performance,
would produce paralysis in the business en-
| ergies of the community. The first cons1d
| GRAFTON in making these changes would, OF
| underlies our whole tariff system-that is
| the principle of putting American business
interests abroad. and of always allowing
| Il sufficient rate of duty to more than cover
/ the difference between the labor cost here
and abroad. The well being Of the wage
the soil, should be treated as an essential
in shaping our whole economic policy
There must never be any ehaF an whcn
| the standard of wages of the American
| wage-worker.
] One way in which the readjustment
| sought can be reached is by reciprocity
| Wherever the tariff conditions are such
/ that needed change can not with adyant
be dea nhf ean 6e made
! right by a lowering of duties on given
| product If possible such change should be
by practical experts, who should approach
| the subject from business standpoint
having in view both the particular inter
ests affected and the commercial well -beine
can ear readily Be Supplied. The executive de
/ Dartment mas already at 1IS ulSpOsdl IHelu
DDS of collecting facts and figures; and II
| the congress desires additional considera
| tion to that which will be given the sub
| ject by its own committees, then a com
| mission of business experts can be ap
1 pointed whose duty it should be to recon
| mend action by the congress after delib
| crate and scientific examination of the vari
/ Gus schedules as they are affected by the
! changed and changing conditions. The un
| hurried and unbiased report of this com
| mission would show what changes should
| be made in the various schedules, and how
| far these changes could go without aist
| changing the great prosperity which this
country is now enjoying, or upsetting It's
| fixed economic policy.
/ The cases in which the tariff can produce
/ a monopoly are so few as to constitute al
inconsderable factor in the question: but
| of course If in any case 1t be found that
! given rate of duty does promote monop
| oily which works ILL., no protectionist would
| object to such reduction of the duty al
i would equalize competition.
/ FREE COAL.
/ In my judgment. the tariff on anthracite
| coal should be removed, and anthracite pu
i actually where it now is nominally, on thu
/ free list. This would have no effect at al
| save in crises; but in crises it might be o.
/ service to the people.
/ AN AUTOMATIC CURRENCY.
| Interest rates are a potent factor In bust