The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-04-05


 and abroad, and of the need to see to it that our laws shall in no event afford advants ge in our own market to foreign industries over American industries. to foreign capital over American capitol, to foreign labor over our own labor.
 This country has ana this country needs better-paid, better-educated, bet ter-fed, and better-clothed workingmen, of higher type than are to be found in any foreign country It has and it needs higher, more vigorous, and more prosperous type of tillers of the soil than is possessed by any other country. The business men, the merchants and manu- lecturers, and the managers of the transportation interests show the same superiority when compared with men of their type abroad. The events of the last few years have shown how skillfully the leaders of American industry use in in ternatiolial business competition the mighty industrial weapons forged for them by the resources of our country, the wisdom of our laws, and the skill, the inventive genius and the admnistra- tive capacity of our people.
 Mere Truism. :. It Is, of course. a mere truism to say that we want to use everything in our power to foster the welfare of our ien- tire hcdy polite. In other words, we need to trelt the tariff as business proposition. from the standpoint of the interests of the country as whole, and not with reference to the temporary needs of any political party. It Is all most as necessary that our policy should be stable as that it should be wise nation like ours could not long stand the rninous policy of readjusting its business to radical changes in the tariff at short intervals, especially when, as now. owing to the immense extent and variety ct our products. the tariff schedules carry rates of duty on thous- ands of different articles. Sweeping and violent changes in such tariff, touch ing so vitaly the interests of all of us embracing agriculture, labor, manufac- lures, and commerce, would be disastrous in any event, and they would be fatal to our present well-being if approached or, the theory that the principle of the pro- tective tariff was to be abandoned. The i business world. that is, the entire Amer ican world, can not afford. if it has any regard for it's own welfare. even to con slider the advisability of abandoning the present system.
 Of Prime Importance.
 Yet, on the other hand, where the in- dustrial conditions so frequently change as with us must of necessity be the case i- ID matter or prime importance that we should be able from time to time to adapt our economic policy to the chahged conditions. Our aim should be to preserve the policy of protective tar lil' III which the nation as a whole has acqulesced, and yet wherever and when ever necessary to change the duties in parucuiar paragraphs or schedules as matters of legislative detail, if such enahse IS demanded by the interests of the nation as a whole.
 In making any readjustment there are certain important considerations which can not be disregarded If a tarfff law business has prospered under if and is prospering, it may be better to endure some inconvenience and ineaualitfes for time than by making changes to risk alysis in the industries ana business n, the country.
 The fact that the change In a given rate of duty may be thought desirable