New-York tribune., 1903-04-06
ERYE'S TARIFFS VIEWS.
OPPOSED TO RETT.SION.
The Senator Points Ont Danger of
Change an Present Lac.
TBr rELEsr,FE To TIE TRIBUNE ]

1Fv TELEGFAFE To TIE TRIBUNE.
Washington. April The men Who are
,,-eing 2 revision IF the tariff entirely over
look TWO important factors in their caloula-
tions~ said Senator Frye ~ a representative
Of The Tribune to-day. They forget that the
tariff has preventive as well as a protective
effect. and they completely ignore the fact that
Il is impossible 10 lower the duty on a class Of
goods manufactured by trust without lowering
il on the same goods manufactured by inde-
pendent companies The Senator added:
IS . matter Of fact. do not believe there IS
any extensive demand for tariff revision now
nor do aPprehsnd any in the Immediate future
Al me arguments along that lire arose from
fear 81 or antag agonisTn toward the trusts. The
people determined that some measure of re-
strfotion must b. applied 10 the great industrial
cofpofatleiaS. ana when II was suggested hy the
Democrats and some shallow Republicans that =
removal OF the duty from trust made products
would accomplish the desired END many peonle
swallowed The argument. fallacv and all
Mature reflection. however proved the folly of
she argument. on examination il became an
parent that while to remove the duty on the
cotton goods made ny the trust at Lowell for
instance. might diminish. teinpors riiy at least
its profits il would Al the same time drive the
;haelehaehJ manufacturers in Maine Of
business By so doing The ends Of the trust
n"-- ~ ec ctgaiiE advanced It would thus be
absolute monopoly
Congress. however. has found method of cur
tdlng such abuses as NAV be the oIlrgrov-th Of
great agsregaticns of capital and unfair at
renptS 20 eliminate competition in certain lines
of industry. Some excellent legislation in rhis
erection was placed on the statutes during the
recent session. At present the Democrats are
irving "a helittle the effectiveness of these laws
hut the Attorney General is working quietly but
lallii< di.e me puhllc VIII soon appreciate that
they are effective all in fact that could he de-
sired or that i were wise to enact. Restrictions
placed On industrial progress require careful
consideration and delicate handling.
DISASTROUS EFFECT OF FREE TRADE
The most serious haH. in the reasoning Of the
advocates Of tariff revision. however. is their
failure 70 take into account the preventive char
sCter of the tariff schedules. This is well illus
trateo IN The cotton goods schedules. Manufsct-
ureTS OF this class OF goods produce them
more cheaply in the United States than any
where else in the world and they do SO and
sell them for less than they bring even in free
trade EnglInd- They do not take advantaEe Of
The tariff charge an increased price but they
know that because Of the tariff they are safe
from the decentralization 10 which the market
might he subjected II there were no tariff For
instance. suppose that. owing 10 conditions en-
firelv eztraneous 10 the United States the Man
chester manufacturers were to find themselves
seriously oversTocHed and that there were no
preventive tariff They would Immediately ship
rheir surplus 70 the United States TO he sold for
whatever the goods would bring This would
rot mean that they could compete with the
American manufacture but II would for the
time being. completely demoralize the market
Their goods and the American product would
sell al Tuinous prices. 70 the serious detr1nlent
of the domestic manufacture. and his opera
1fves who would probably be thrown entirely
An illustration Of this fact is found in the
-ery argument OF the tariff revisionists- They
point the fact that American manufacturers
ere selling their products abroad for less tnan
they charge ct home OF course they are
Those products sold abroad their surplus
With The alternative Of continuing their mills
n operation keeping their employees at work
and producing more goods than the domestic
market can absorb or Of closing their fllllis
and factories until the domestic demand war
rants resumption. they choose the former and
trust % disposing Of their surplus abroad. II
not a. a pront at seast Wlthout loss ms mas
heeu frequently done bE the Steei lruSLr 10
me great benefit Of their employees, and now
TIE re|isionists make IT 4 pretext for robbing
me steel industry Of protection.
II there were no tariff on those goods which
can be produced here for less than they can
he sold a abroad. the domestic market would
>. ro-s+anT1z- suh5ecfed 70 the unloading of
their foreign surpluses with the inevtta bic re
sultsnt Generalization The preventive effect
q the tariff is ~ the utmost importance
LITTLE DEMAND FOR REVISION.
Representative Babcock says. through the
columns Of The Tribune. that the Dingley bill
would have been revised by the last Congress
hu- for the opposition of eighteen Senator'S
That = rec1,liar for I never heard Of any
demands for tariff revision in the LNTIth Con-
Eress other than the chronic demand Of the
Democrats. IN nay opinion there was no such
demand. -
As for the olaim that revision Of the tariff
hv z strong Republican majority would not re.
suit in injury 10 business and the prosperity OF
me nation i IS not borne out nE eAperleI!!S
certainly. there could have been no doubt that
-re Mckinley bill was drafted and enacted hy
-he friends and advocates Of protection ana
ct i turned the country over 70 the Democrats
Why Because every travelling man in the
country quoted higher prices on his goods and
a-roneousiy but invariably. attributed the in
crease 70 the protective Mckinley bill The same
hing would be likely occur again. and. be
sides with the hue and cry against the trusts
capital would be frightened lest even the he
Vuhlicans might make some concessions from
-heir protective policy and reduce some sched-
ules 70 the injury Of the industries concerned
No. DO not expect TO see any tarln REVISION
IN me near future The country is enjoying the
utmost prosperity under the Dngley bill. the
5er7aTd for z reduced tariff IS purely political
md epherneral and there is no adequate reason
-or attempting experiment which has never
been -oducrfve OF anything but evil IN the past