Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1902-12-18
STRIKES PROTECTION.
rowa's Governor Says There Are No
Sacred Schedules.
ESissents from Hanna's "Stund Pat
Maxim -Fayors Mutual Trade
Treaties for the Good of h
Entire People.

A. ID. CummlnS, OF Iowa, spoke on tne
subject of Reciprocity and the Tar
if" He began his address by assum-
ing sole responsibility for what he
might say. He said he should deal
with reciprocity as a partisan doctrine
because it presupposes the existence
of a system of duties on imports levied
primarily either to restrict commodi-
ties which it embraces. Of the policy
or principle of protection and its ap-
p~lication in tariff schedules he said:
ITO the former my tribute Is without
reserve and my eulogy limited only by my
capacity 10 praise. Concerning the latter,
ii is true, as it is of other just principles
OF government, that we may have made
some mistakes and are probably perpetu.
ating some duties originally excessive and
some hat have BECOME so by the muta-
lions of time and circumstance.
"In a country like ours its legislative bod
les move only as impelled by the senti-
nlent of the people. / rejoice that 1t is
So, because when .the people cease TO
actually determine broadly the lines upon
which the government shall proceed and
come merely to acquiesce in the leadership
of their representatives, free institutions
will have persisted from the face OF the
earth. The weakness of reciprocity is
found in the fact that 1t has never formed
the basis of a political campaign and
therefore public sentiment has never vet
been crystallize6l upon 1t. Little or moth
ing can be accomplished until we are will
ing to approach tariff schedules in precise
ly the same spirit thai we approach any
other subject of legislation. So long as
the controlling minds of ongress insist
that the welfare of TIE country demands
that the tariff be let alone there Is no
hope for practical or substantial reci-
procity.
There are many ardent advocates for
reciprocity who believe that tariff sched-
ules should be changed only through re-
ciprocal treaties. I am not one of them.
1t seems to me manifest that a prerequisite
to any material or important reciprocal
tariff Is a willingness to adjust, whenever
fairly required, our exclusive tariff to the
conditions of the time. Reciprocity will
never win its way until we are willing to
treat the tariff nationally instead of hys-
terically, and the first step in the process
is to be willing to make such changes as
from time to time may be necessary to
nvng tariff schedules into harmony with
the principle which vindicates their exist
ence.'
Scouts "Stand Pat" Maxim.
Gov. Cummns expressed his disagree
ment with Senator Hanna's maxim of
political economy: "Stand pat and let
well enough alone" and continued:
81 am unalterably opposed to readjust-
ment for light or trivial reasons. changes
should never be made unless 1t is clear
that duties are too high or too low. Laws
of all kinds should be as permanent as HUI
man affairs will permit them to be and
l beg you to bear in mind that the prop
osition with which I began and with which
/ shall end is that tariff schedules, like
all other laws, are to be made, unmade
and remade according to the public needs
and that we are not 10 be warned off by
the cry that we are on holy ground and
that the sacred vestments, of the high
priests are not to be touched by profane
hands.
'There are duties. notably in the iron and
steel schedule, although not confined to
it, which are wholly indefensible, which
no man will ever attempt to defend and
which are as much at war with the real
object Of protection as free trade itself.
They can be greatly reduced and still the
American manufacturer will occupy the
whole American market, pay the highest
American wages and be rewarded with an
ample American profit, and therefore they
ought to be reduced-not years hence, but
now. There are materials which our ex-
perience has shown us should be admitted
free, simply because they would give our
people more work to do in preparing them
for their ultimate uses, and it should be
done-not years hence, but now. This is
not the time to enter into detail, for what
] ave SAID Is not denied"
Argument from Prosperity.
Stating that the argument most fire..
rI1nnf1t hoe rsl. n~a,ncf 4pl1abir~ fho
tariff usually begins with a statement
of the prosperity of the people of the
United States. Gov. Cummins said:
at is a SANDER upon the fundamental
truth of the world to say that the pros
perity of the people ever has been or ever
can be impaired by doing what is right
and just and fair. What evidence is there
to sustain the assertion that a correction
of the grossly excessive duties would
hasten the days of extreme commercial
activity to a close?
Nor are the advocates of making the
tariff forever immune from examination
or change altogether consistent. Roose-
welt boldly insists upon the abolition OF
the duty upon anthracite coal, and I doubt
not that the men who SO stoutly demand
that tariff schedules should be exempt from
legislative interference will be quick to
assist in the removal of the duty of 81
cents per ton upon the commodity. Roose.
welt likewise urges the reduction of the
duty upon Cuban sugar and tobacco, an6
1t is easy to see that II Cuba wants the
reciprocity treaty 1t will be ratified. ]
shall rejoice when these things are done
but 1 have been unable to suppress the
inquiry whether the duty on anthracite
coal is more b%urdensome han some Other
duties which have excited public comment
and whether the treaty with France Is
not as meritorious as the treaty with Cuba
ut Is also urged that II some duties are
too high that they do no harm, and that
the injury inflicted upon the country by
an attempt to reduce them will be greater
than the good hat Ear be accomplished
by the reduction. If this rgume be
sound, then we should hesitate long be.
fore We touched the subject at all. II
Is not, however, supported by the facts
as they are known to exist. If competition
were effective in every field Of industry
excessive duties. generally speaking, woult
do little harm. but it is a matter of com
mon knowledge that in some commodities
the force of competition has either beer
wholly eliminated or seriously impaired
and with respect to such things whenever
there is a full demand at home 1t is pos
sible for the home producer to raise thu
price to the point of extortion, and II
many instances at THIS moment the pos
sibility has become a reality and buyer,
and consumers are now paying more thar
a fair price for what they buy and con
sumo
Definition of Reciprocity.
Expressing emphatic dissent from
the doctrine of maintaining tariff du
ties higher than they should be sim
ply to give opportunity to reduce then
through the medium of reciprocit,
treaties Gov. Cummins analysed tn,
doctrine of reciprocity, saying:
THE truth is that, considered as eco
nomic principles, protection and ~reciproci
ty are not only widely separated, but ar,
the exact opposites Of each other. w,
ought to understand that in the domain
Of competitive commodities reciprocit,
does not sustain, but destroys, protection
Protection is intended to practically ex
clude importations Upon the subjects tina
! 1t embraces by giving to the home pro
Queer an advantage In the home market
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