The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1907-04-11

II.
Now that congress has adjourned
! and a new hand is az the helm of the
treasury department, perhaps the
state department Will deem II no
! longer incompatible with the public
interest TO make known the contents
OF the report of the commission sent
10 Germany TO inquire concerning mat
! tiers bearing upon the tariff situation
/ between that country and the United
| States. Some two weeks ago a reso-
luton asking for information on this
subject was under consideration by
| the house committee on ways and
means. but the committee found itself
unable to proceed further with the
question because OF the unwillingness
OF the secretary of state 10 supply
any details OF the report in question.
This is an old habit OF our state de-
partment this Withholding OF facts OF
| vital import to producing interests.
| The same policy Of secrecy was OBJ
| served seven years ago when the kas-
/ son treaties were negotiated. For
| several months our government re-
fused 10 furnish any particulars as to
| the tarin reductions provided for In
| those drafts Foreign governments
! however. were not so secretiye. lnfor-
nation as 10 the provisions OF the pro-
posed French treaty was quite free
/ " published in Paris and found It's
way 10 the United States by cable, so
that by the time the veil OF secrecy had
| been removed In Washington the coun-
try was pretty will advised as to the
extent TO which Mr. Kasson had con
scented TO assassinate certain of our
domestic industries in order to get
upon a reciprocity" basis with
| France. II might be remarked. as
| fact in history. that no French indus.
try was threatened with assassina-
ton.
u Is to he hoped that. with no con
gress in session to ask inconvenient
questions or make unpleasant com
ment and with treasury department
/ supposed 20 be favorable 20 what Is
called "A broader trade policy that
| IS. larger competition from foreign
mills and factories-Our state depart
ment viii find 1t compatible with the
| public interest 10 tell American pro-
/ ducers what they have 10 expect In
the matter OF concessions that are cal
culated TO give 10 German exporters a
/ bigger slice of the American market
II. for example. IL shall be decided 10
so relax or modify our customs regu-
! latiOns as TO make u easier for the
| German exporters 10 underyalue their
/ goods and thereby escape the pay
ment OF the tariff duties provided by
| law. that fact would be OF great inter
est TO a large body OF industrialists
! who have heretofore found n extreme
~ dihicult 10 hold the domestic mar
ket against undervalued consignments
from Germany. and who are deeply
concerned Ia knowing how much the
gate TO differentiation is going to be
widened as the result of the new
dicker.
II Is not by any means impossible
that a readmstment OF the matter OF
production costa reduction alike in
the volume and rate Of wages paid
would be neccssitated. Such would
unquestionably prove TO be the case in
many lines OF domestic production II
greater latitude for differentiation
should be granted In the shape OF
greater laxity on the part OF our APP
praising officials In the determination
OF values OF imports II is not. Of
course. 10 be supposed that the new
secretary OF the treasury would know
ingly strike such a blow at domestic
production. employment and wage
paying. But there are, presumably,
some things which he does not know
as well as they are known by those
more intimately related to the busi-
ness OF manufacturing goods and en-
ploying labor. and he might make
mistake in his judgment as to wha;
could be done IN the way OF relaxation
and laxity Of customs collections.
He may not know. for example, that
even under the strictest of methods
differentiation Is a giant evil most
difficult TO deal with effectively, and
that the aim should be not to increase
but TO lessen the fraud. In order that
he may learn these and other things
closely related TO the general subject
II would seem that the secretary OF
the treasury should be among the first
10 solicit from the secretary of state
prompt and full publicity of the re-
port of the German tariff commission.
Certainly the American people have a
right 10 that Information at the earli-
est possible moment