New-York tribune., 1903-04-05
SPEAKS ON THE TARIFF.
Continued from first PnSe.

lean producer business man, wage worker ,aa,s ana
farmer alike The general tariff policy, TO Which,
without regard to changes in detail, peHere f
this country is irrevocably committed is loli
damentally based upon ample recosniuoiii oi
the difference between the cost OF prouuctiol
that is the cost of labor-here and abroad, anu
of the need to to it that our laws snalI IA
no event afford advantage in our own marhee
TO foreign industries over American industries
to foreign capital over American capltai, " ioi
eign labor over our own labor. -.
This country has and this country heeus oel
ter paid, better educated, better fed ana petteE
clothed workfngmen. of a higher type thaii al
be found in any foreign country IL mas anu
it needs higher. more vigorous anu III, i,o ,s
prosperous type Of tiers of the soil thail 10
possessed by any other country me pusliiess tss
men, the merchants and manufacturers ana the
managers of the transportation interests SNOW
the superiority when compared with men @
of their type abroad. The events OF the last lew
years have shown how skilfully the leaders OF
American industry use in international ousi-
ness competition the mighty Industrial weapons
forged for them by the resources OF our coun-
try, the wisdom of our laws. and the Skill the
inventive genius and the administrative capacity
Of our people.
TARIFF NOT A PARTISAN QUESTION.
It is of course a mere truism to say that we
want to use everything in our power TO roster
the welfare of our entire BODY polltc IN olheI
words we need to treat the tariff as nusiness
proposition, from the standpoint of the inter
ests of the country as a whole. and not with
reference TO the temporary needs or any poiu-
cal party. It,,
should be stable as that it should be wise
nation like ours could not long stand the ruinous
policy of readjusting its business 10 radicai
changes in the tariff at short intervals, espe-
cay when. as now, owing to the immense eh.
tent and variety Of our pfooucts, the sai "a ~ ~
schedules carry rates of duty on thousands OF
different articles. Sweeping and violent changes
in such a tariff, touching so vitally the interests
Of all of us, embracing agriculture laDoF, ihali-
ufactures and commerce, would be disastrous
in any event, and they would be fatal 10 our
present wellbeing If approached on the theory
,1,,Y %Na .-ira aiF1a nj
to be abandoned. The business world-Ihat Is,
the entire American world-cannot afford, II II
has anv regard for it's own welfare even 70
consider the advisability of abandoning the
present system.
THE TRUE TARIFF POLICY.
Yet, on the other hand. where the Industrial
conditions frequently change; as win US
must of necessity be the case, it is matter or
prime Importance that we should be able from
time to time to adapt our economic policy 10
the changed conditions.
Oar aim should be TO prSSneirJhe nich the nation
of P5otsetxs P,as .. acamie.eeG m and vet, Wher-
duties in partic icuIar raEraphs or schedn nsh
change is demanded by the interests of the
In making any readjustment there certain
important considerations which cannot be d1S-
regarded If tariff law has on n-,S me Snole iIrS
der il and is prospering, it may be better 10
endure some inconvenienceS and inequalities Tor
a time than by making changes to risk causing
disturbance and perhaps paralysis of the indus
tries and business of the country
VAST INTERESTS TO CONSIDER.
The fact that the change in a given rate of
duty may be thought desira bic does not settle
the question whether 1t is 2dVlsapIe 70 laahe max
the change Immediately. Every tarlH deals
with duties thousands of articles aTIansed
in hundreds of paragraphs and in many Scheo
ules. These duties affect vast nuIhper VI
interests which are often conflicting. If neces-
sary for our welfare. then of course Congress
must consider the question of changing the law
xlraln at19r cyirlcY
but we must remember that whenever even a
single schedule is considered some interests VIII
apear to demand a change in almost every
schedule in the law: and when it comes to up
setting the schedules generally the effect upon
the business interests of the country would De
ruinous
TRUSTS AND THE TARIFF.
One point we must steadily keep in mind. The
question of tariff revision, speaking broadly.
stands wholly apart from the question Of deal
ing with the trusts No change in tariff duties
can have any substantial effect in solving the
so-called trust problem. Certain great trusts
great corporations wholly unaffected by
the tariff Practically all the others that ale OF
any Importance have. matter Of fact, num-
bers OF smaller American competitors; and or
course change in the tariff which would work
injury to the large corporation would work not
merely injury but destruction to its smaller
competitors; and equally of course such a
change would mean disaster to all the wage
workers connected with either the large or the
small cOrDOrat tiOnS.
From the standpoint of those interested in the
would, therefore, merely mean that the trust was
relieved of the competition of its weaker Ameri-
can competitors, and thrown only into cOmpe-
tition with foreign competitors; and that The
first effort to meet this competition would
be made by cutting down wages, and would
therefore be primarily at the cost of labor In
the of Of greatest trusts such
a change might confer upon them positive
benefit Speaking broadly, it is evident that the
changes in the tariff will affect the trusts for
veal for simply they affect the whole
country The tariff affects trusts only as it
affects all other interests. 1t makes all these
interests, large small, profitable: and it's Lene
fits can be taken from the large only under
penalty of taking them from the small also.
SOME FEATURES MAY NEED CHANGE.
To sum up, then, we must a people ap-
proach a matter of such prime economic i'm
portance as the tariff from the standpoint of our
business needs. We cannot afford to become
fossiliZed to fail TO recognize the fact that
the needs of the country change it may be
necessary to meet these new needs by changing
certain features Of our tariff laws.
Still less can we afford to recognize the
further fact that these changes must not be
made until the need for them outweighs the
disadvantages which may result; and when il
becomes necessary to make them they should
be made with full recognition of the need Of
stability ir our economic system and of keeping
unchanged the principle of that system which
has now become Il settled policy in national
life.
We have prospered marveliously at home.
AS a nation stand in the very forefront in
the giant international industrial competition of
the day We cannot afford by any freak of
folly to forfeit the position TO which have
thus trumDhantly attained.