Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1904-02-26
Open Doors and Tariffs.

American lnSIstence upon the open
door in the Orient emphasizes certain
truths of this country's present tariff
policy. Insistence upon the open door
virtually is a demand for the advan-
tages of free and unrestricted trade
without a tender of the quid pro quo.
Thanks to the policy of republican
administrations, we are unable 10 Of
fer the Oriental countries any in
ducement to do business with Us. Pro-
hibitive tariff rates confront them
when they in their turn attempt to in
wade our market We, in effect and in
truth. say to the Orient. Give us free
and unlimited opportunity 10 sell our
trust-made goods at our own prices.
in return for which we will tax your
goods out of our market"
Canada, Germany, France and others
OF the enlightened nations have re-
jected this proposition so often that
we no longer possess. the audacity to
make it TO them. China. Manchuria
and Korea are less sophisticated: we
may be able TO come il over them.
Our highly respected and civilized re-
publican policy is TO look for the best
of it. especially when dealing with
children. as il were. And since the
other powers cannot very well pre-
vent us they join in what may be
termed properly enough the dismem-
berment of Oriental trade.
From our standpoint il i nothing
less than dealing with the natives"
Trust-owned ships loaded with trust
products ride into the far Pacific ports
and return with any sort of profits
that suits the fancy of the moment.
The brown denizens chatter with de-
light as the trusts cheat them. The
trusts operations are on a par with
swapping trinkets for gold nuggets
and the trusts operations are the OPP
erations of America as now governed.
Protection for themselves and free
trade as against the other fellow are
good enough for the American trusts.
Both To buy and sell at their own
prices is the cinch conferred by the
Dingley schedules. and conferred upon
the trusts alone. The American peo-
pie as a whole can have no interest in
the open door proposition as ii now
stands. OF course as matter of
patriotism we like to see the country's
trade extended: but from our stand
point il * Il sheer waste of statesman
ship to push the business of the
trusts. The trusts impose their own
prices on American farmers and work
ingmen. Then they like to get rid of
any surplus at lower prices to foreign
ers. The trusts themselves might. I'M
der other circumstances. develop in
ternational trade relations which
would rebound greatly to the Ameri-
can consumers advantage.
The American consumer could even
afford 70 patronize the trusts at com
bise rates, provided the benefits of in
coming products at free trade prices
were accrrIing. And certainly the
American consumer is entitled. as an
academic proposition. to whatever
benefits the trusts foreign operations
might Indirectly produce; for the
American consumer makes il possible
for the trusts to do business abroad:
makes il possible. by paying an eXtr::
price FOR home products. for the
trusts To invade even these foreign
realms which have set up retaliatory.
or reciprocal" tariffs-in Il word. en-
ableS the trusts to scale foreign walls.
But the consumer. somehow. isn't APP
preciated as he should be. He doesn't
get hearing. He isn't expected TO
concern himself with such state queS-
ticus a. the welfare of the trusts. He
i supposed to do nothing but con-
sumo in silence and vote resignedly
when the time comes. One of these
day. however. he may wake up ana
vote frtelligently-p possibly il Will be
In the fall Of 1904.