Charlevoix county herald., 1907-07-20

The San Francisco Chronicle is in
dignant regarding the extraordinary
diplomatic dicker by which the United
States government has bound itself,
without the knowledge or consent of
congress, to reduce tariff rates on
competitive imports from Germany.
The Chronicle, one of the most ably
conducted and influential among the
leading Republican newspapers of
this country, condemns the new Ger
man agreement in unsparing terms as
"an arrangement to permit underval-
uations on imports, subject to an ad-
valorem duty" Says the Chronicle:
1T could have been asked for by
Germany for no other purpose. 1t
could have been granted by our gov
ernment for no other purpose. 1t is
contrary to the express terms of the
administrative customs act, and is to
be attacked as such in the United
States courts"
To assert that the privilege ac-
corded to German exporters Of nam
ing their own export values could
have been granted by our government
for no other purpose than that of
permitting differentiation, is a more
sweeping condemnation of the Grass
laundering of our gifted state depart
ment than any which has been ex-
pressed by the American Economist.
Yet, when all has been considered,
what else could have been the purpose
of this astonishing concession? To
assume that Secretaries Root and
Cortelyou were ignorant of the pur-
pose of the Germans in asking for
such concession is to reflect upon
the intelligence of those two secre-
taries. There is not a customs ad
;ninistrative officer in the service of
the United States, not one-scarcely'
day laborer who handles and un-
packs goods in the appraisers stores
who does not know that the oppor-
tunity to undervalue exports was
sought by the Germans. So far as we
have been able to discover, there is
not an intelligent man in the entire
customs service who does not know
that the privilege of naming export
values is in effect the privilege of un-
dervaluation.
1t is past comprehension that even
our gifted secretary of state, who
knows nothing of customs administra-
ton, and our inexperienced secretary
Of the treasury, who knows little more,
should not have somehow or other
a1 hot fIA hot r,f
the German demand for the export
price privilege. Still, we would rath-
er believe that they blundered like
schoolboys than that with eyes wide
open hey deliberately betrayed the
revenues of the government and the
interests of American labor and in
dustry.
Frankly the Chronicle expresses it's
preference for open free trade rather
than the double dealing of "reci-
procity" tariff concessions. Free
trade" it says. "is foolish. but it is
honest. Trading tariffs are devices
of the devil" There are many pro-
tectionists who concur in this view.
believing that the even keel of tar
ff for revenue only would in the long
run work less mischief than the dis
honest policy of assassinating some
industries for the benefit of some
other Industries. Double tariffs are
trouble tariffs" the American Econo-
mist has said in this connection.
That is the solid truth. Rightly the
Chronicle urges that:
The only dual tariff which is de-
feasible is a surtax added to imports
from countries which in any way dis
criminate against us
The McCleary bill embodied a sound
principle-that of increased tariffs
against the exports of any and all
countries having two sets Of tariffs,
and enforcing maximum rates against
the products of the American people.
Such a bill should be passed by the
Sixty-first congress at its first ses-
sion, and in addition, joint resolu-
ton giving six months notice of ter
mination of the German agreement.
With such a bill passed and such
notice given we should hear no, more
about German threats and French
bluffs. Neither would the country be
shocked and humiliated by a repe-
tition of the colossal blunder of per-
mitting foreigners to write the Amer
-