The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1907-05-09
P|)IiCQ| Comment.



1t is possible that some of our ma
t;Onal statesmen have a solution of the
cost of living problem, though the peo-
pie of the United States may not be en-
thusiastic about the method. Mr.. Elihu
Root Secretary OF State, has arranged
a treaty Of peace with Germany pend
ing tariff changes which he is to try to
have made. The treaty of peace covers
the willingness of Germany TO continue
to use products of ours which she must
have. OF course, if we do not. sooner
or later, lower some of our duties in
favor of German exporters, Germany
Will refuse to buy from us the things
that she cannot get along without For
example. rather than have us collect
present duties on imports from Ger
many she will quit using our cotton;
and, there being no other cotton for her
to get, she will close all her mills,
throw out of employment all the wage
earners employed there, and withdraw
from the markets of the world where
she is selling those manufactures, etc.
OF course
But since Secretary Root has ar
ranged TO try for a reduction of Ameri-
can duties Germany will consent for
another year or so to buy from us what
she absolutely must have or go out OF
business in certain lines that are of
great and Indispensable value to her.
Now, as for the programme to lower
the American duties for Germany. The
plan Is to put a reciprocity convention
such as we have with Cuba-into
operation. When Congress passes en-
abling legislation to permit such an ar
rangement, it would naturally need to
do the same thing for other nations,
else we should have some sorry trou-
bic on our hands with England, France
and other large buyers of our products
and sellers to us of theirs. The Ia
vored nation" treaties now in existence
would make this imperative.
And, of course this taking of the
duties for all the great trading nations
would let them come into this market
and sell here things that the American
people, prosperous beyond precedent,
have been buying for nearly ten years
from Amrican producers. This would
shut down American mills and fac
tories 1t would throw American wage
earners out of employment. 1t would
diminish the purchasing power or the
American market With large per-
centage of our own wage-earners out OF
work and with American capital once
more idle there would be a steadily
falling demand for all products-of the
mill, the factory and the farm. This
would surely bring down the cost OF liy-
ing. The same sort Of thing brought
down the cost of living when we had
the Wilson tariff law. Prices could be
got so low in this way that anybody
could buy almost anything for song
IL he had the money.
We suspect that the American peo-
pie have not forgotten, however, that
when you bring down the cost OF living
in this way-putting your own indus
tries out of business and your own
wage-earners out of employment, and
taking foreign products of labor and
capital instead of your own peoples
the great question becomes not what
thing costs in the market, but where
in thunder you can get the money to
buy 1t at any price.
But. at any rate. the State Depart
ment will go on with its program TO
bring down the cost of living. New
York Press.