The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1902-12-02
Makes Strong Plea for Stability of Tariff Policy
and Reciprocity.

strike down wealth with the result OF
closing factories and mines, of turning
the wage workers idle i'm the streets
and leaving the farmer without mar
ket for what he grows. lnsistenCe up
on the impossible means delay in
, achieving the possible exactly as on
| the u,her hand, the stubborn defense
alike of what is good and what is bad
In the existing system the rcsolute et.
| fort to obstruCt any attempt at bet.
terment. betrays blindness to the his
tOric truth that wise evolution Is the
safeguard against revolution.
In the Power Of Congress.
believe that monopolies. unjust dis
ordinations, which prevent or cripple
competition, fraudulent over capital
! Zation. and other evils i'm trust organ.
| izations and practices which Injurious
J ly affect interstate trade can be pre-
vented under the power of congress
to regulate commerce with foreign
nations and among the several states
through regulations and requirements
operating directly upon such com.
merce, the instrumentalities thereof
and those engaged therein.
earnestly recommend this subject
10 the consideration Of the congress
with a view to the passage OF law
reasonable in it's provisions and eftec.
tive i'm it's operations, upon which the
question can he finally adiudicated
that now raise doubts as TO the neces-
sity Of constitutional amendment. If
It prove impossible to accomplish the
purposes above set forth by such a
law. then, assuredlv. we should not
shrink from amending the Constitu-
! tlon SO as TO secure beyond peradven-
| turo the power sought
The congress has not heretofore
made any appropriation for the better
enforcement OF the antitrust law as It
now stands Very much has been done
| by the Department Of Justice I'm socur-
/ ing the enforcement of this law, but
much more could be done II congress
would make a special appropriation
| for this purpose, TO be expended under
the direction OF the attorney general.
Reduction Of the Tariff.
One proposition advocated has been
the reduction of the tariff as a means
Of reaching the evils of the trusts
which fall within the category | have
] described. Not merely would this be
wholly ineffective, but the diversion of
our efforts I'm such a direction would
mean the abandonment OF all intelli-
| gent attempt TO do away with these
| evils. Many of the largest corpora
tions, many OF those which should Ger.
tainly be included in any proper
scheme of regulation, would not be
] a In, ha elf hNrn "a
change In the tariff, save as such
change interfered with the general
prosperity OF the country. The only
relation OF the tariff TO big corpora.
tions as a whole is that the tariff
makes manufactures profitable, and
the tariff remedy proposed would be In
effect simply TO make manufactures
Improbable. To remove the tariff as
a punitive measure directed against
trusts would inevitably result in ruin
10 the weaker competitors who are
struggling against them, Our aim
should be not by unwise tariff changes
to give foreign products the advantage
over domestic products, but by proper
regulation to give domestic competi
tion a fair chance; and this end could
not he reached by any tariff changes
} which would affect unfavorably all do
nestle competitors, good and baC
! alike, The question OF regulation o
the trusts stands apart from the ques
tion of tariff revision,
Stability Of Policy.
Stability OF economic policy mus
always be the prime economic need o
this country, This stability should no
, be fossilization The country has &C
, quiesced in the wisdom of the proteC
tive tariff principle, II is eXceedingl!
, undesirable tnat this system should b.
destroyed or that there should be vic
, lent and radical changes therein. Gu
past experience shows the great pros
perity in this country has always com
under a protective tarif; and that tn
country cannot prosper under ftfu
+ tarff changes at short intervals
Moreover, II the tariff laws as a Who'll
2 work Well, and Il business has pros
I lpered under them and is prospering,
J Is better TO endure for a time slight In
D conyeniences and inequalities i'm som
} schedules than TO upset business b
J. too quick and too radical changes.
D is most earnestly 10 be wished that W
; could treat the tariff from the stanC
point solely of our business needs.
is perhaps, too much TO hope that pal
tisanship may be entirely exclude
from consideration of the subject, bu
at least il can be made secondary I
the business interests OF the country
that Is, To the interests of our peopl
as a whole. UnQuestiOnably these bui
mess interests will best be served