The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1903-04-07

American world, cannot AFFORD, If II
, has any regard for its own welfare,
even to consider the advisability Of
abandoning the present system.
Changes When Necessity Demands.
yet on the other hand. where the
industrial conditions so frequently
change. as with us must of necessity
be the case. it is a matter Of prime
Importance that we should be able
from time to time TO adapt our eco
nomic policy to the changed condi.
tions. Our aim should be to preserve
the policy of a protective tariff. IN
which the nation as a whole has ac.
qulesced. and yet wherever and when
ever necessary to change the duties
in particulars paragraphs and sched-
ules as matters OF legislative detail,
II such change is demanded by the in.
terests of the nation as a whole
In making any readjustment there
are certain important considerations
which cannot be disregarded If a
tariff law has on the whole worked
well. and If bushes has prospered
under II and is prospering. 1t may be
well to endure some Inconvenience
and Inequalities for a time than by
making changes to risk causing dis.
turbance and perhaps paralysis in the
industries and business of the coun.
try. The fact that the change in a
given rate OF duty may be thought de.
sirable does not settle the question
whether II is advisable to make the
change Immediately. Every tariff
deals with duties on thousands of ar.
ticles arranged in hundreds Of para.
graphs and in many schedules. These
duties affect a vast number OF inter.
ests which are often conflicting II
necessary for our welfare. then Of
course congress must consider the
question Of changing the law as a
whole or changing any given rates OF
duty. but we must remember that
whenever even a single schedule is
considered some interest will appear
to demand a change In almost every
schedule in the law; and when Il
comes to upsetting the schedules gen.
orally the enoct upon the business
interests OF the country would be
Tariff Revision and Trusts.
One point we must steady keep IN
mind. The question Of tariff revision.
speaking broadly stands wholly apart
from the question OF dealing with the
trusts. No change in tarlff duties can
have any substantial effect in solving
the socalled trust problem Certain
great trusts or great corporations are
wholly unaffected by the tarln. Prac.
tically all the others that are OF any
Importance have, as a matter OF fact.
Of smaller American compel.
itors; and of course a change In the
tariif which would work injury to the
large corporation would work not
merely injury but destruction to It's
smaller competitors: and equally OF
course such a change would mean dis.
aster to all the wage workers con.
nected with either the large or the
small corporations. From the stand.
point OF those interested In the solu.
ton OF the trust problem such a
change would therefore merely mean
that the trust was relieved of the com.
petition OF It's weaker American com.
petitors. and thrown only into compe.
iition with foreign competitors: and
that the first effort to meet this new
would be made by cut.
ling down wages, and would therefore
be primarily at the cost Of labor In
the case of some of our greatest
trusts such a change might confer
upon them a positive benefit Speak |
Ing broadly, IL Is evident that the
changes in the tariff will AFFECT the |
trusts for veal or for woe simply as
hey afteet the whole country. The |
arin atfects trusts only as Il Affects |
AL other interests, Il makes an these
large or small, profitable;
md its benefits can be taken from the
arge only under penalty OF taking
hem from the small also.
A Business Proposition.
To sum up then. We must as a
'eople approach matter OF such
'rime economic importance as the
ariff from the standpoint Of our bust.
less needs. We cannot AFFORD to be.
ome fossillzed or To fail 10 recnrniue