The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-04-05

touching so vitally the interests of all of us. embracing agriculture. labor, nanu- features, and commerce.. would be disas- trous in any event, and they would be fatal to our present well-being if ap- preached on the theory that the princi- pie of the protective tariff was to be abandoned. The business world. that is the entire American world. can not anord, if it has any regard for its own welfare, even to consider the advisability of aban- doning the present system.
 Possibility of Changes.
 Yet on the other hand where the in- dustrial conditions 50 frequently change. as with us must of necessity be the case. it is a matter of prime importance that we should he able from time to time to adapt our economic policy to the changed conditions. Our aim should be to pre- serve the policy of protective tariff. in which the nation as whole has acqui- esced. and yet wherever and whenever necessary to change the duties in partic- ular paragraphs or schedules as matters of legislative detail. If such change is demanded by the interests of the nation as whole.
 Tn making any readjustment there are cannot be disregarded. If tariff law has on the whole worked well, and if business has prospered under 1t and Is | prospering, 1t may be better to endure some inconveniences and inequalities for a time than by making changes to risk causing disturbance and perhaps paralysis | in the industries and business of the country. The fact that the change in a | given rate of duty may be thought desir- | able does not settle the question whether | 1t is advisable to make the change imme- l diately. Every tariff deals with duties on thousands of articles arranged in hun | dreds of paragraphs and in many sched- | ules. These duties affect a vast number | of interests which are often conflicting. | If necessary for our welfare, then of | course Congress must consider the ques- l 0f rha ha "a aG a | changing any given rates of duty. but we must remember that whenever even a single schedule is considered some interests will appear to demand a change in almost every schedule in the law; | and when 1t comes to upsetting the schedules generally the effect upon the business interests of the country would De | ruinous.
 Tariff and Trusts.
 One point we must steadily keep in mind. The question of tariff revision. speaking broadly. stands wholly apart from the question of dealing with the have any substantial effect in solving the so-caIIed trust problem Certain great trusts or great corporations are wholly unaffected by the tarif. Practically all have as a matter of fact numbers of smaller American competitors: and of course a change in the tariff which would work injury to the large corporation
 
 struction to it's smaller competitors; and equally of course such Q change would mean disaster to all the wage-workers connected with either the large or the small corporations. From the standpoint of those interested in the solution of the trust problem such a change would therefore merely mean that the trust was relieved of the competition of its weaker American competitors, and thrown only into competition with for eign competitors; and that the first ef, fort to meet this new competition would be made by cutting down wages. and would therefore be primarily at the cost of labor. In the case of some of oul greatest trusts such change might confer upon them positive benefit
 Speaking broadly. 1t is evident that the changes in the tariff will affect the trusts
 for veal or woe simply as they affect
 the whole country. The tartn affects
 trusts only as it affects all other interests
 small, profitable; and It's benefits can be taken from the large only under penalty lof taking them from the small also.
 fO sum up. then, we must as peo ple approach a matter of such prime . economic importance as the tariff iron |, the standpoint of our business needs
 We can not afford to become fossilizeC . or to fail to recognize the fact that as thu needs of the country change it may b' |, | necessary to meet these new needs b, changing certain features of our tariff laws. Still less can we afford to fail tt . | recognize the further fact that thes' changes must not be made until the neet . for them outweighs the disadvantage which may result: and when it become
 necessary to make them they should b , made with full recognition of the need 0 stability in our economic system and 0 keeping unchanged the principle of tha 2 system which has now become settle noliinl in our nAtAAnal hfA. We hay