The San Francisco call., 1905-05-17
CITY DESIRES
NEXT SESSION
San Francisco May Be the
Place of Meeting of the
National Manufacturers
GOTHAM IN THE FIELD
Parry Takes Stand Against
Rate Control and Favors
Treaties Of Reciprocity

ATLANTA, Ca, May 16.--The annual
gathering Of the National Association of
manufacturers of the United States, rep
resenting more than three-quarters of
the $4,000 10000 of invested capital of this
country, assembled here to-day. Three
hundred members were in attendance.
Ihe selection of the next place of meet
ing seems to lie between San Francisco
ana New York. 1t is said ain effort will
De made to carry the 1906 convention to
the latter city and make it the permanent
meeting place of the association.
The first. thing on the regular pro-
Sramme was the annual address of Pres
1dent ID. NJ. Parry of Indianapolis. Parry
labor had weakened in the past year.
Continuing, he said in part:
While the enlargement of the scope and
power OF government by the purchase and
management of certain enterprises has found
considerable support among the people, yet I
measures involving the confscation of profits
ana the limitation of private management OF
capitai is the more widespread and dangerous.
Wllhout making special reference to the aim
Or the avowed socialist we have organized
lapor and its sympathizers supporting the idea
tnal organizations of men may dictate TO a
large extent the management of enterprises
which they do not own, determining the rate
OF wages and fixing the hours of employment.
Another Illustration OF this kind of socialistic
sentiment is manifested in the present agita-
ton to have the Government fix railroad rates.
The attempt is made to make it appear that
shippers and the general public cannot
longer stand the extortion, but must
have relief from Congress Now, the
simple incontrovertble fact is that the railroad
rates in this country are far cheaper than
anywhere else in the world. These rates in
general are one-thrd lower than those of
Great Britain and France, and one-half lower
than those of Germany. where the railroads
are owned and operated by the Government.
An examination of rates in the past also
shows there has been almost continuous
tendency downward. In 1870 the rates were
three times what they are now.
To my mind there some features in the
present tariff situation that open to serious
question the wisdom Of the stand pat policy.
The foreign demand for agricultural pro-
ducts appears to be declining, and the expor-
tation of manufactured commodities is not
nearly SO great it should be- How in the
face of unfavorable foreign tariffs we can
materially develop the market abroad is diff
hcult to see, unless through the adoption of
a more liberal tariff policy own part
we secure compensating concessions In the
tariff schedule of those countries whose mar
kets we seek
Reciprocity would be wiser course than
tariff revision. 1 do not think the situation
calls for radical treatment but rather for the
adoption of conservative policy looking more
to the opening up than to the bottling up of
our commerce.
Ludwig Nissen of New York spoke on
the Governmental relations of public fran
chises. The address was largely devoted
to a discussion of the "un-Americanism
of Government ownership Of. public utili-
ties" He said in part:
The present trend of public opinion in the
effort to check the evils of control by monopoly
is toward the other extreme. municipal or
State ownership. TIE recognition of that prin-
ciple would mean State socialism. The gross
injustice of the public seryIce corporations is
unquestfonably the cause ror the now general
demand by the unthinking' public for system
of municipal or State ownership of all public
utilities. If these principles should ever be put
into general practice in this country the result
would be the destruction of liberty and
our progress. We woald go from wealth to
poverty from progress to lethargy and from
liberty to slavery because we would live in
state of socialism which aims at equality
with the lowest instead of teaching to aspire
to the highest. You would crush individuality.