Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1906-08-30
TARIFF WAR IN PROSPECT.
Protectionists Will Concede Nothing
to GermanY.

to Germany.
Protectionism is slowly nearing the
end Of it's string in spite of Speaker
Cannon capturing President Roosevelt
to a policy of inactivity on the tariff
on the score Of party necessity. This
stand pat policy will hold good a few
years longer if the Republicans control
the congress to be elected next fall
and then carry the national election in
1908, as they would then have more
than an even chance of doing. Yet
heart Of p%rotectionism that will compel
tariff revision in spite of the stand
patters, for the markets of the world
are about to be closed to our manu-
featured products, although our ex-
ports Of food and raw material will
still continue as long as we can sell
the cheapest to those countries that
must purchase.
The cankerworm is the avarice of
the trusts and manufacturers, who
have prevented the ratification Of reel
procity treaties with foreign countries,
notably Germany, and in retaliation
she has created a new maximum and
minimum tariff law which as to it's
maximum rates is virtually prohibit
tive. Germany now holds that we
have no favored nation agreement with
her in her sense Of the term and is in
censed at u not fulfilling our agree
ment to revise some Of the administra-
tive conditions imposed on imports as
provided in the Payne bill Of last Win
ter. Germany appears to feel that our
administration has broken faith with
her by accepting notifications of her
tariff while still imposing the utmost
requirements Of our OWL. Germany
evidently believes that President
Roosevelt, who exhibited such control
Of congress on many matters he was
interested in, showed considerable in
difference in urging on congress what
he had promised Germany.
But the German statesmen do not
understand, as we do, how helpless
President Roosevelt is directly he runs
up against the trusts and intrenched
monopolists. They never sleep, are
never tired and have the men and
money to fight tariff revision in any
form. The subsidies-every schedule
Is the breath Of their nostrils. Without
those special privileges they would not
be able to pay dividends on watered
stock and their foster mother would no
longer nourish them.
Those of the trusts, however, that
rely upon exports, such as the beef
trust and steel trust, not to mention
other manufacturers of smaller scale,
will soon feel the pinch Of q surplus
they cannot dispose of and will be
more willing to make concessions for
| at least some sort Of tariff revision.
That is the cankerworm gnawing at
the heart Of protection that is sure to
lead to its destruction. How long
these protected interests can stand the
| pain and strain when the pinch comes
Is uncertain. They may decide to de-
cay by inches, and then again the long
headed ones may decide that selling
their surplus cheaper to u OWL peo-
| pie is as profitable in the end as SELL
ing it to foreigners.
A Democratic victory this fall will
hasten the ultimate outcome and spare
the inevitable tariff war" with Ger
many and countries that we should be
at peace with. -~~-~r--y~wrs""
Tariff reform will reduce the cost of
living and thus add to the income Of
every n but the favored monopolists.