Charlevoix county herald. (East Jordan, Mich.) 189?-1953, 1907-09-14
DIFFICULT PROBLEM
HOW TO REDUCE PRICES WITH
OUT LOWERING WAGES.


II Is Not Easy to See How Amer
lean Labor VIII Be Able to Escape
the Cheapenlne Process.
1t Is gratifying to learn that some
body has solved the difficult problem
Of how to lower the tariff increase
foreign competition and bring down
prices without decreasing either the
volume or the rate of wages paid to
American labor. Senator Lodge of
Massachusetts is the man. p In
speech at Nantasket Beach on the 8th
Of August, according to the report in
the New York Press,
Lodge said there would be no re-
vision of the tariff before 1909; that
the party leaders were opposed to any
tariff tinkering preceding a presiden-
tial election; that a revision would
not mean the lowering of duties on
any manufactures the importation of
which would hurt our workingmen,
and that a new tariff act would be
along the old Republican lines of pro-
lection for the American working
men,"
Here we have the problem solved,
but with no hint as to the process of
solution. Like all the rest of the
tariff ''reformers," Mr.. Lodge fails to
| furnish a bill of particulars. The
tariff. he tells us, Is going to be re-
duced along protective lines and not
on any manufactures the importation
of which would hurt our workingmen.
In that case, how shall competition
be increased from abroad and prices
lowered accordingly? For it must
not be forgotten that the sole end
and aim of tariff revision downward is
to increase competition and force low
er prices. If this were not the end
sought, why talk of tariff revision?
Now, as a general rule, there are
but two causes of price reduction.
One is a diminished demand, and the
other is an increased supply offered
at cut rates. At present there is no
decrease of demand and no overpro-
duction to break down values. On
the contrary, prices remain firm and
the facilities of every line of domestic
/ piOQuCIiOn dIc oil dlncu W Tic uIDlOoJ
to supply the demand. Then if the
supply is to be so increased as to
break down prices, it must be by i'm.
portations bearing lower values. This
is plain. Just how the tariff is going
to be tinkered to suit all the shouters
for downward revision Mr.. Lodge does
not make clear. He does not tell us
| I,<r 90. -; h. ,N,,1o @,N1
in the revision process as to satisfy
the free-traders, the progressive" Re-
publicans like Cummins, who want to
bring in foreign competition that will
do away with ''the monstrous extor
tiOn and graft being practiced under
the Dingley tariff, and the demand for
free raw materials and reciprocity in
competitive products that is so strenu-
ous in Massachusetts, and at the same
time keep the peace with American la
Dor on the farms and in the mines,
mills and factories. The jaunty, off
hand assurance that all this can and
viii be done when the tariff comes up
Tor revision will hardly suffice.
Gratifying it ia to know that the
tdflA N LII Bulls " NC tOuClCu uulli
after March 4, 1909. We don't know
how Mr.. Lodge has managed to settle
this thing so conclusively, but he
seems to have settled it to his own
satisfaction. But not to the satisfac-
ton OF Gov. Guild. On the same plat
form and within the same hour Guild
reiterated his burning desire for i'm
| y,,od.ot, 20 ri rou;or,p Mot without
some show OF reason and consistency,
one would think. Il the present tariff
Is 30 atrocious as It is thought to
be by Guild aud Foss and Cummins
and Whitney ana lot of other urgent
revisionists, why postpone the rem
edy for three years? If the country is
not now prosperous; If labor is I'M
employed; II wages are low and pow
erty acute; II business halts and ruin
stalks abroad; IL commercial failures
and soup houses are the chief crop of
the year-if all these things are true
because OF the Dingley tariff, Guild is
right and Lodge is wrong, and not a
moment should be lost in repeating
the Dingley tariff.
But, il none Of these things are
true; II prosperity is at high water
mark; IL labor is scarce and wages the
highest ever heard OF and poverty is
almost unknown; IL business is the
I best and commercial failures the few
est on record-if, on the contrary, all
these things are true (and they are
true), then both Guild and Lodge are
wrong Then we should not only not
be talking about immediate tariff re-
vision downward, but we should not
be talking about tariff revision two
or three years hence; we ought not
TO be talking about tariff revision at
| all We should LET the tariff ahsO-