Los Angeles herald., 1907-10-12
TEMPoRA MUTANTUR


volved in the present almost uni
versal demand for a revision ant
readjustment Of our clumsy and ar
chaic tariff system, the vital impor.
tance and imminence of which ever
its densest and most uncompromisins
adherents must concede. The great
question and issue before us is not one
Of politics, morals or ethics; 1t is one
of plain business.
In former times, say up to fifteen
years ago or such a matter, nearly
all the nations of the world, like our
selves then and now, were on a single
tariff basis. For practical purposes the
United States was in position nearly
of complete independence. Almost it
monopolized the production Of cotton
which Great Britain and the continent
must have for their mills, and almost
equally the old world was dependent
upon the American surplus of bread
manufactures the home market, sur
rounded by tariff wall too high for
any European despot to climb and
still too large for our own industries
to supply fully, precluded the idea of
our invasion of markets over sea, ex-
cept in the matter of few special
lines comparatively unimportant in the
present connection. So, although Euro
pean peoples deeply resented what to
them always has appeared brutal sell
flshness in our prohibitive tariff policy,
they were forced to submit to it. They
no longer need do so. Our manufac-
lures have increased so enormously
that regularly we find ourselves with
a large and constantly growing sur
plus, which must find foreign outlets.
That, approximately, the same is true
of our agricultural and pastoral prod
ucts witness the CONSERVATION that has
spread throughout our grazing regions
and in our packing centers, caused by
Germany's war upon our beef and
pork. There was an object lesson! No
longer are we invulnerable; the kaiser
can smite us under the short rib when
ever he likes AS to cotton, we still
furnish about tenths of the
worlds supply; but there is, and for
years has been, constantly increas-
ing effort on the part of European
governments to promote cotton culture
in Egypt, various parts of Asia and |
Africa, and the movement is beginning |
to show results. Ultimately it is pos
sible that our quasi-monopoly of cot |
ton might be threatened, If our present |
tariff policy should be perpetuated and |
we continue to invite animosity and |
reprisals from all creation. Similarly |
we may be not always as sure of our
position as to our wheat export as we |
have been. The wise enterprise of the |
creasing irrigation service has added |
millions of acres of potential wheat |
land to the available area of that |
country. There still remain immeasur-
able possibilities in South America,
which statesmen and economists would |
be foolish to leave out OF the reckoning.
AS The Herald has shown in other
connections, we have fallen from a
position Of dominant power in relation
to our rivals to one of isolation and
inferiority among them. and of acute
danger from their retaliatory policies
and actions. We alone remain upon
the single tariff basis. The other
great powers have adopted and applied
either the maximum and minimum or
the more scientific German conven-
for 81 ,osr
trade agreements, until practically
there exists today o. European tariff
bund, the members of which, all and
singular, favor each the exports of the
others and discriminate against those
Of the United States.
More than six years ago even as
rock-rooted a protectionist as the late
President Mckinley was able TO see the
tariff war cloud gathering, and it is
not news that he pleaded earnestly
with his party friends to abandon the
og-in-the-manger policy
and system and use the power to tax
imports beyond the point of reasonable
protection to American industries still
In need of the federal nursing bottle,
to secure concessions from Germany,
France, Austria, italy, the South
American states, and so on, in return
for more liberal treatment of their ex-
ports. Whether the operation shall
prove pleasant to them or not, soon or
late they will be compelled to follow
the line indicated by their great dead.
or get out OF the way for somebody |
who will.