Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1902-12-06

| the several states through regulations
and requirements operating directly upor
fhereof ana those cngssed therein. 's''
| earnestly recommend this subject to this
| consideration of the congress with a view
] to the passage of Law reasonable In its
| provisions and effective IN its operations
! upon which the questions can be finally
1 ad1udicated that now raise doubts as y
l the necessity Of constitutional amend.
ment Is It prove impossible 10 accom-.
! plish the purposes above set forth by such
/ a Law, then assuredly. we should not
shrink from amending the constitution Sc
as 20 secure beyond .peradventure the
! power sought
any appropriation for the better enforce
menf Of the antitrust law as il now
stands. Very much has been done by she
! department Of justice IN securing The en-
| forcement Of this law. but much more
! could be done II congress would MAKE
I special appropriation Tor this purpose %
/ be expended under the direction of the
attorney general
One proposition advocated has been the
/ reduction OF the tariff as means Of
reaching the evils of the trusts which tall
/ within the category j have described.
| Not merely would this be wholly lneifec-
tive. but the diversion Of our esforts IN
/ such direction would mean the aban-
| donment of all intelligent attempt 10 do
] away with these evils. Many of the lar
| g.est corporations. many of those which
should certainly be Included in any proper
| scheme Of regulation. would not be af-
( fected IN the slightest degree by . change
| fered with the general prosperity of the
lscouutry. The only relation of the tariff
| 70 big corporations as whole Is that the
| tariff makes manufactures profitable and
| the tariff remedy proposed would be in
| efect simply to make manufactures I'M
| profitable. To remove the tariff as q
| punitive measure directed against trusts
would inevitably result In ruin to the
| weaker competitors who. are struggling
| against them. Our aim should be not by
| unwise tariff changes to give foreign prod
| ucts the advantage over domestic prod.
ucts, but by proper regulation to- give do
| mestic competition fair chance, and
| this end cannot be reached by any tariff
| changes which would affect unfavorably
alike The/auesttiitonn Of II Regulation Of the
| trusts stands apart from the question OF
| tariff revision.
| Stability of economic policy must al
| ways be the prime economic need of this
country This stability should not be fos-
| silization. The country has acquiesced
in the, wisdom of the. protective tariff
| principle. 1t Is exceedingly undesirable
| that this system should be destroyed or
| that there should be violent and radical
| shows that great prosperity in this coun-
| try has always come under protective tar
| lift and that the country cannot prosper
under fitful tariff changes at short inter-
| walls. Moreover. If the tariff laws as
| whole work well and if business has pros
| pered under them and issprospering, II Is
| better to endure for a time slight incon-
| venienees and inequalities in some sched-
ules than to upset business by too quick
| nestly to be wished that we could treat
| the tariff from the standpoint solely of
our business s needs s l. It's, Is, perhaps too 90
| entirely excluded from consideration OF
| the subject, but aLleast II can be made
| country-that is, to the interests of our
| people as whole. PROFESSIONALLY these
| business interests will best be served II
| together with fixity of principle as re-
| CARDS the tariff we combine system
| which will permit US from time to time TO
make the necessary reappllcation OF the
We must take scrupulous care that the
reapplication shall be made in such a way
| that it will not amount to dislocation of
our system, the mere threat of which. not
| to speak of the performance, would pro-
duce paralysis In the. business energies
ton in making these changes would, Of
course, be to preserve the principle which
nnderlies our whole tarin systemnthat u.
| ness interests at least on full equality
with interests abroad and Of always al
| lowing sufficient rate of duty TO more
| than cover the difference between the
labor cost here and abroad. The well be-
| ing Of the wageworker, like the well be-
| ing 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 wageworker
One way in which the reimbursement
sought can be reached is. by. reciprocity
treaties. 1t is greatly to be desired that
such treaties may be adopted They can
be USED to widen our markets ana TO give
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 for 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.
If II prove Impossible to ratffy the pend
ing treaties and If there seem TO be no
warrant for the endeavor TO execute 9TH
m m n
that they can be ratified then the same
end-to secure reciprocity-shou 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 II can be made out
right by lowering of duties on given
product. If possible. such change should
be made only after the fullest considera-
ton by practical experts, who should APP
proach the subject from q business stand
point. having in view both the particular
interests affected and the commercial well
being Of the people as a whole. The ma
chinery for providing such careful inves-
tigation can readily be supplied. The ex-
ecutive department has already at its
disposal methods of1collecting facts and
figures, and if the congress desires add
tional consideration TO that which Will be !
given the subject by its own committees /
then a commission of business experts can
be appointed whose duty 1t should be TO
recommend action by the congress after |
q deliberate and scientific examination OF
the various schedules as they are affected |
by the changed and changing conditions |
The unhurried and unbiased report of this /
commission would show what changes |
should be made in the various schedules /
and how far these changes could go with |
out also changing the great prosperity /
which this country Is now enjoying or
upsetting it's fixed economic policy.
The cases in which the tariff can pro- !
duce monopoly are so few as TO eonsti- |
tute an inconsiderable factor in the ques-
ton: but. of course. II in any case 1t be |
found that a given rate of duty does pro- I
mote monopoly which works Ill. no pro-
tectonist would object to such reduction |
OF the duty as would equaize competition. |
In my Judgment, the tariff on anthracite |
coal should be removed and anthracite !
put actually, where IL now Is nominaily.
on the free list. This would have no effect I
at all save in crises; but in crises il might I
be of service to the people
Interest rates are potent factor IN I
business activity. and in order that these \
rates may be equalized to meet the vary
ing needs of the seasons and of widely I
separated communities and to prevent the I
recurrence of financial stringencies which I
injuriously affect legitimate business, IL