The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1907-05-23
TO lowER cosr OF LIVING.
Proposed Dieker Would Also Loves
the Wherewlth 20 Live.

IL Is possible that some OF our ma
tional statesmen have a solution Of
the cost OF living problem. though the
people OF the United States may not
be enthusiastic about the method. Mr.,
Elihu Root. secretary of state, has ar
ranged a treaty OF peace with Ger
many pending 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. II we do not, sooner or later.
lower some Of our duties in favor Of
German exporters, Germany will re.
fuse to buy from us the things that she
cannot get along without For ex.
ample. 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 10 try for reduction Of Amer.
lean duties Germany will consent for
another year or so to buy from ne
what she absolutely must have or go
out 81 business I'm certain lines that
are Of great and Indispensable value
TO her
Now. as for the program 10 lower
the American duties for Germany. The
plan is to put reciprocity convention
such as We have with Cuba-into
operation. when congress passes en-.
abling legislation to permit such an
arrangement. n would naturally need
to do the same thing for other nations.
else we should have some sorry trou.
BILE on our hands with England
France and other large buyers OF our
products and sellers 10 MS OF theirs
The favored nation" treaties now In
existeace would make this Imperative
And. of course this taking on the
duties for all the great trading nations
would let them come into this market
and sell here things that the Amcri.
can people. prosperous beyond prece-
dent. have been buying for nearly ten
years from American producers. THIS
would shut down American mills ald
factories. % would throw American
wageoarncrs ous OF employment n
would diminish the purchasing power
of the American market. With a large
percentage OF our own wage-earners
out of work and with American capt.
tai once more idle there would be a
steadily falling demand FOR an prod
ucts-Of the mill the factory and the
farm. This would surely bring down
the cost Of living. The same sort OF
thing brought down the cost Of Twins
when we had the Wilson tann law.
Prices could be got 80 low IN this way
that anybody could buy almost any.
thing for a song--if he had the money.
We suspect that the American PEG.
pie have not forgotten. however. that
when you bring down the cost OF Nv.
Ing In this way-putting your own ia.
dustries out Of business and your own
wage-earnors out OF employment, and
taking foreign products OF labor and
capital instead OF your own peoples
the great question becomes not
what thing costs 10 buy In the mar.
ket. but where In thunder you can get
the money to buy IL at any price.
But. az any rate. the state depart.
ment will go on with 90 program &C
( bring down the cost OF living New
York Press.