Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1902-12-08


sit supfne on the plea that under our pc
culiar system of government we are aeIp-
less in the presence of the new cOndltlons,
and unable TO grapple with them OF 10 cuC
out whatever of evil has arisen III couHeH
ton with them The power OF the con-
gresS to regulate interstate commerce 10 dn
absolute and unqualified grant, anu Will III
out limitations other than those ESQ co1l
by the constitution. The congress udS -
SJltutiOnal authority TO make all laws NC
essary and proper for executing inns pow
er, and / am satisfied that this power has
not been exhausted by any legislation now
on the statute books 1t is evident CHe!e
FORE that evils restrictive OF cOnmefClal
freedom and entailing restraint upon IA Hd
tional commerce fall within the reg uIaLio
power of congress, and that wise anu
reasonable law would be necessary anu
proper exercise Of congressional autuolIty
to- the end that such evils shouIu NC eau
/ believe that monopolies, unjust dis
examinations, which prevent or Grippe
competition, fraudulent Overcapitallzatlon3
and other evils in trust organizations ana
practices which injuriously affect lnt Ter
State trade can be prevented unqet tme
power of the congress to regulate com
merce with foreign nations and among the
several states" through regulations ana re-
quirements operating directly upon suca
commerce, the Observation-Disclosures CneteoI'
and those engaged therein. ~
| earnestly Recommend this subject to the
consideration of the congress Win view
provisions and effective in its operations,
upon which the questions can De nnal1y
adjudicated that now raise doubts as 70
the necessity of constitutional amendment.
If it prove impossible to accomplish the
purposes above set forth by such a law.
then, asSuredly, we should not SHRINK IIonl
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 reacn-
ing the evils of the trusts which ran WI" NJ
merely would this be wholly ineffective,
but the diversion of our efforts IN Such q
direction would mean the abandonment OF
all intelligent attempt to do away viii
these evils. Many of the largest corpora
tions, many of those which should certain
ly be included in any proper schem 10 4l Oh
regulation, would not be lHecteu III the
slightest degree by change in the tar IN
save as such change interfered with tn the
general prosperity Of the country me
only relation of the tariff to big corpora
lions as a whole is that the tariff makes
manufactures profitable, and the tarlH
remedy proposed would be in effect SIM
ply to make manufactures Improbable.
! To remove the tariff as punitive meas
ure directed against trusts would lneVIt-
ably result in ruin to the weaker compel compel
itors who are struggling against them:
Orr aim should be not by unwise tariff
changes to give foreign products the al
vantage over domestic products, but by
proper regulation to give domestic com pc
be reached by any tariff changes Wnlch
would affect unfaYOrably 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 TINS cou Ii
try This stability should not be FOSSIL
zation. The country has acquiesced IN the
wisdom Of the protectiVe-tariH principle
1t is exceedingly undesirable that TINS sys-
] H. JNO Incf1 rn6 or
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 ntIul
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 ana
inequalities in some schedules than to up
set business by too quick and too radical
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 a whole. Unques-
tiOnably these business interests Will best
be served if together with fxity of prin-
ciple as regards the tariff we combine q
system which will permit us from time. to
time to make the necessary reapplicatiOn
of the principle to the shifting national
needs. We must take scrupulous care that
the reapplicaton shall be made in such a
way that it will not amount to dlSloca-
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 consid-
Grafton in making these changes would, of
course. be to preserve the principle which
underlies our whole tariff system-that is,
the principle of putting American business
| interests at least on full equality with
interests abroad. and of always allowing
a sufficient rate of duty to more than cover
the difference between the labor cost here
| and abroad The we'll being Of the wage.
worker like the we'll being of the tiller of
: the soil, should be treated as an essential
in shaping our whole economic policy.
There must never be any change which
will jeopardize the standard Of comfort,
the standard of wages of the American
Wage-WOrker.
One way in which the reimbursement
sought can be reached is by reciprocity
treaties
Wherever the tariff conditions are. such
that a needed change can not with advant-
age be made by the application of the
reciprocity idea, then it can be made out
right by a lowering of duties on a given
product. If possible such change should be
made only after the fullest consideration
the subject from a business standpoint,
having in view both the particular inter
| ests affected and the commercial well-being
of the people as whole The machinery
! for providing such careful investigation
can readily be supplied. The executive de-
! partment has already at it's disposal meth
| DDS of collecting facts and figures; and if
| the congress desires additional considera-
tion to that which will be given the sub
! ject by it's own committees, then a com
mission of business experts can be ap-
! pointed whose duty it should be to recon-
mend action by the congress after a DELHI
crate and scientific examination of the vari-
| Gus schedules as they are affected by the
changed and changing conditions. The I'M
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 also
changing the great prosperity which this
country is now enjoying, or upsetting its
fixed economic policy.
The cases in which the tariff can produce
a monopoly are so few as to constitute an
inconsiderable factor in the question: but
of course if in any case It be found that q
given rate of duty does promote a mOnOp-
oily which works i'll, no protectiOnist would
object to such reduction of the duty as
would equalize competition.
FREE COAL.
In my Judgment, the tariff on anthracite
coal should be removed, and anthracite put
actually, where it now is nOminally, on the
free list This would have no effect at all
save in crises; but in crises it might be OF
service to the people.