Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1903-04-22

a tariff, touching so vitality the interests
of all of us, embracing agriculture, labor.
manufactures and commerce, would be
disastrous in any event and they would
be fatal to our present well-hemg if sp-
preached on the theory tiat the princi-
pie Of the protective tariff was to be
aba .onea The business world-that is.
ihe entire American world-cannot afford.
if il has any regard for its own welfare,
even 10 consider the ACCESSIBILITY Of aban-
doning the present system.
Yet, on the other hand, where the
industrial conditions so frequently
change, as with us must of necessity be
the case. il is matter of prime import
ance that we should be able from time
to time 10 adopt our economic policy to
the changed conditions Our aim should
be TO preserve the policy of a protective
tariff. in which the nation as a WHOLE
has acquieseed. and yet wherever and
whenever necessary to change the duties
in particular paragraphs or schedules as
matters of legislative detail if such
change is demanded by the interests 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 he whole worked well, and
if business has prospercd under it and
is prospecting il may be better TO endure
some Inconvenience and inequalities for
time than by making changes to risk
causing disturbance and perhaps paraly-
sis in the industries and business of the
country.
The fact that the change in a given
rate of duty may he thought desirable
does not settle the question: whether it
is advisable to make the change imme-
diately. se
Every tariff deals with duties on
thousands of articles arranged in hun
dreds of paragraphs and i'll 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-
ton Of changing the law as whole or
Echa.Igins any given rates of duty, but we
must remember that whenever even a
single schedule is considered SOM in
terests will appear to demand a change
in almost every schedule in the law, and
when it comes to upsetting the SCHEDULES
generally the effect upon the business in
| terests of the country would be ruinous.
Tariff Change Can Not Curb Trusts.
''One point we must steadily keep in
mind. The question of tariff revision,
speaking broadly, stands wholly apar;
from the question of dealing with the
trusts. No change in tariff duties ,an
have any substantial! effect in solving
the so-called trust problem. Certain
great trusts or great corporations are
wholly unaffected by the tariff. Prac-
tically all the others that are Of any inn
portance have as matter of fact num-
bers of smaller American competitors;
and of course change in the tariff
which would work injury to the large
corporation would work not merely injury
but destruction to its smaller contpeti-
tors; and equally. of course, such a
change would mean disaster to ali the
wageworkers connected with either the
large or the small corporations.
Prom the standpoint of those inter-
ested in the solution of the trust problem
such change would therefore merely
mean that the trust was relieved of the
competition of its weaker American com
petitors and thrown only into competition
with foreign competitors, and that the
| first effort to meet this new competition
would be made by cutting down wages
and would therefore be primarily at the
cost of labor.
In the ease of some of our greatest
| trusts such a change might confer upon
| them positive benefit. Speaking broad
| y, it is evident that the changes in the
tariff will affect the trusts for veal or
| for woe simply as they affect the whole
! country. The tariff affects trusts only as
it affects all other interests. 1t makes all
these interests, large or small, profitable.
and its benefits can be taken from the
| large only under penalty of taking them
| from the small also.
To sum up, then. we must as a people
! approach a matter of such prime eco
nomic Importance as the tariff from the
standpoint of our business needs We
canot afford to become fossilized or to
! fail to recognize the fact that as 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 fail to
recognize the further fact that .hese
changes must not be made until the need
| for them outweighs the disadvantages
which may result. and when it becomes
necessary to make them they should be
made with full recognition of the need
of stability in our economic system and
of keeping unchanged the principle Of
| that system which has now become a set
tied policy in our national life.
We have prospered marvelously at
| home As nation we stand in the
very forefront in the giant International
imduatrial competition of the day. We
cannot afford by any freak of folly TO
forfeit the position to which we have
thus triumphautly attained"