Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-25
LIMITED FRANCHISE
BELIEVES THAT ONLY TAxPAY-
ERs SHOULD VOTE.
Explains the Increase Of Duty Upon
American Machinery as "Yankee
Trick" to Protect Americans.
BY WILLIAM e. CURTIS.

| Herald.
| Count White, as premier of Russia under
| the new regime, ought to be satisfactory to
| the imperial family and the nobility. because
| he is naturally conservative in disposition.
| and, although he does not believe IN the
| autocracy, he is opposed to universal suf-
| frage and popular government. He told me
once, in his office at st. Petersburg with
good deal of emphasis, that universal suf-
| frage as exercised in the United States
would bring this republic to ruin; that 1t
| was illogical. unjust to the taxpayer and
| full of peril TO the public welfare
L happened to be In Russia shortly after
Secretary Gage issued an order imposing a
countervailing duty upon a cargo of beet
sugar imported from Russia into the city
of New York, and you will remember that
the Russian government Immediately fol-
duties upon agricultural implements and
machinery, electrical engines and supplies.
railway material and supplies, and all kinds
of other machinery and manufactures of
iron and steel. This action on the part of
Russia was construed as retaliation upon
the United States for the order of Secretary
Gage. and for while there was great deal
of talk about it In the American and Euro
pean newspapers.
Called on Witte.
Assuming this to be the case Mr. Tower,
our ambassador at st. Petersburg. gave me
note Of introduction to Mr.. Witte, who
was then at the head of the finance depart
ment and was supposed to be responsible
for the policy of tariff retaliation.
When l called at the appointed hour he
received me very cordially and left his desk
to sit beside me on the sofa In his Office
But he declined to re interviewed and be-
came quite excited as he related the manner
In which he had recently been imposed upon
by an English newspaper correspondent
After the minister had relieved the press
ure of his indignation l suggested that IL
ne desired that the attitude Of Russia in
this controversy be correctly understood by
our people it would be well for him to fur
nish statement to the correspondent of
the Associated Press, through whom 1t
would reach every newspaper in the United
States, and be published as he wrote it.
This proposition seemed to strike the min
lister fayorably, and when having made
main. as he wanted to talk to me- Placing
his hands upon my shoulders he pressed
me back into my seat. In answer to his
questions. | told him that the newspapers
or the United States and the public gem
orally construed the increase Of duty upon
machinery and implements as an act of
retaliation for Mr.. Cages order about
Russian sugar. because they constituted
the greater part of the exports from our
country to Russia.
A Yankee Trick.
At this he laughed heartily. His heavy
frame shook as he tried to suppress his
amusement, and he exclaimed:
We have only been playing a Yankee
trick; yes, a Yankee trick and your people
are too stupid to recognize their own tricks
when they see them"
Laboring painfully In his efforts to ex-
press himself in English, he said that he
would be glad to have Mr. Gage shut all
Russian sugar entirely out of the American
market, because they needed it at home
The Russians did not make enough sugar
or hair
export 1t was matter of indifference to
him what duty was charged upon it: the
higher the better, and while he had no
opinion to express officially he would say
privately that he approved Mr. Cages
order so far as he understood it. The in,
crease of duties upon agricultural and other
machinery Immediately after Mr. Cages
order was. however, only an accidental CO.
incidence, and had, been intended to pro-
tect American manufacturers in Russia
against competition, in Germany especially.
and other rivals in the United States and
elsewhere. He said that they imported
three times as much machinery and impIe-
nients from Germany as from America,
and to furnish employment for the Russian
merchanics and other workmen the govern
ment had induced several American manu-
facturers to establish plants in Russia,
which, at that time, were employing many
thousands of Russian laborers.
These plants had been established upon
certain pledges from the government and
for the first few years and until recently
they had been kept busy with government
orders But those contracts having been
closed, the American factories were now
dependent upon ordinary commercial or
ders, and the trade had been considerably
depressed. 1t had also been demoralized
by the importation of enormous quantities
Of cheap German implements and ma
chinery, which had been sold at lower
prices than the American manufacturers in
Russia could meet with profit. Hence, for
their protection, and upon their petition,
what his excelIency called "a little Yankee
fricl N ia of inn
perial ukase, increasing the duty upon
competing goods.
This order had been decided upon and
had been prepared long before that cargo
of Russian sugar arrived al the port of
New York, and It's publication at that par
ticular moment was purely coincidence,
without the slightest significance.
Believes in Protection.
Count White then proceeded to discuss
the American system of protective tariff,
which he thoroughly approved. with mcdi-
fications that would make it more elastic.
He liked the French system of imposing
duties better than that of the United
States, and preferred three columns. with
a high low and medium duty, and author
ity on the part of the executive or finance
department to apply the maximum, mini
mum or mean duty as might be necessary
or expedient Such elasticity, he argued,
was essential to assist In preserving an
equilibrium In, trade and to prevent ex-
tOrtaOnate prices, HloIOpotieS ana cOTneTS
in food products and raw materials par
ticularIy. If any combination of merchants
attempted to control the supply of wool or
hides. or to put up the price of wheat
corn or meats or any other OF the necessi-
ties of life, somebody should have the
mower to throw open the gates Of trade and
invite foreign competition.
when explained to Count White that
ra,ther labor nor capital (Which were both
vitality interested In the tariff Of the United
States) would be willing to intrust such
anthority to our President or Secretary of
the Treasury, and that our Congress was
too much afraid of the popular vote to del
egate such authority, he began to deciatm
against universal suffrage and declared
that, sooner or later, It would destroy the
American government.
He asserted that man who paid no
taxes was not entitled to share in the adj
ministration of affairs; that our naturaIiza-
ton laws were pernicious and dangerous;
that we were voluntarily placing in the
hands of ignorant, iliterate, vicious and
thoughtless classes the power to overthrow
our institutiona and weapons with which
they could destroy the prosperity, the peace
and the happiness of our nation.