Ceredo advance. [volume] (Ceredo, W. Va.) 1885-1939, 1907-01-09
GERMAN ATTITUDE
THAT OF TRYING TO ENFORCE AN
UNFAIR ALTERNATIVE.
Not Square Deal Firs. 10 Increase
Tariff Rates and Then Force a Re-
duction of Our Rates AS the
Price of Fair Treatment

In a recent speech of Count Speck
Won Sternburg at the banquet OF the
New York Chamber of Commerce no
new light has been cast upon the tariff
controversy precipitated by the Ger
man threat of discrimination against
exports from the United States Ac
cepted as spoken In good faith all of
the ambassadors protestations of
Germany's earnest desire for amity
alike in political and commercial rela-
tons. the fact yet remains that Ger
many is alone responsible for any
prospective breach Naturally the
Germans prefer commercial peace,
but they have started out to get il
on their own terms.
Commercial peace is n good thing.
a very necessary thing. for a country
which every year sends TO the United
States $i5O.OOO. 900 OF its products.
most OF them products competing
with our own labor and industry, and
whose steamship lines receive fully
as much more for transporting Amer
lean commerce. \ total of $500 900.
900 year is quite well worth keep
ing the peace for. The 100000, 900
year of American sales to Germany
are. on the contrary. mostly of non.
competitive products. commodities
that are Indispensable to German
manufacturers.
1t is big stake that Germany is
playing for, but she cannot win
against n hand full of American
trumps. The cards are against her.
Her opening suit is a blunder 1t is
double tariff with maximum rates
placed outrageously high, purely fer
the purposes of compelling concessions
from the American tariff rates and
from American customs regulation
such as will enable her to crowd larger
quantities of competitive goods into
the American market.
Obviously Uncle Sans proper play
is to trr1lp the trick by pointing out
the fact that in respect to tariff rates
and customs regulations. Germany's
exports TO the United States are
treated precisely as the exports Of all
other countries are treated. and that
ii would be farcical to suppose that
imum tariff in return for Germany's
reduction of her maximum tariff.
Then, when any move shall be made
to carry out the threat of subjecting
American exports To the penalty OF the
prohibitive German maximum. the an
swer should be, must be, retaliatory
Increase of tariff rates on all i'm
ports from Germany. This play would
end the game. With such a certainty
in plain sight the German bluff would
never be carried to the point Of ac-
tual operation.
German industrial producers can
not afford the loss of a market of
S150,000.000 a year. German steam
ship lines cannot afford the loss OF
freight earnings amounting to another
Sl50,000,000 year.
1t was, of course. not to he ex-
pected that Count Won Sternburg
would incorporate into his Chamber
of Commerce speech a recognition of
these facts and conditions That IS
not what he was there for. To have
done so would have been a prodigious
stretch of diplomatic candor. lie was
speaking to orders, and his orders
evidently did not authorize any lati-
tude on the question of tariff rates.
Otherwise. the Count might have
limited at the possibility of a square
deal in which Germany would I'M
deTtake To- reduce her minimum tariff
rates-not her maximum-in return
for tariff concessions on the part Of
the United States.
Such a proposal would at least
open the door for negotiation and
place the United States in the posi-
ton Of deciding whether or not it
would consent to an increase of Ger
man competition In manufactures as
the price Of lower tariff rates on our
own exports.
But, as we have said. Germany
starts wrong She starts with a bluff.
threat, a club in her hand She
demands concessions and grants none
II IL impossible 70 see how the United
States can deal with such a propo-
sition other than by a pcremptory
refusal. TO yield to Germany's de
mand in its present form would be
o political blundcr and an economic
crime.