Morgan County republican. (Versailles, Mo.) 1906-1914, 1908-06-25
THE REAL DEMAND
REPUBLICAN JOURNAL FOR WISE
TARIFF REVISION.
Situation a. II Really Exists Ia Plainly
stated-Free Trade Not Con.
sistent with Needs Of
the Country.

from COMMUNICATION Ny soD'l Hliuus, w
pecially IN the United States. It IL still
cherished az a s%cmi.religiOns fetish by
many otherwise amiablc idealists, who
like to declare that the protective prin.
ciple IN both an unconstitutional
theory and an immoral practice.
This economic school Is one without
weight or Significance In political af-
fairs; and II is not now 80 dangerous
to Republican councils. perhaps. az Is
its equally misguided antithesls. the
extreme high.tarif party, who bring to
the tariff the same sort of ecstatic ven-
Grafton which free trade inspires In Its
enraptured devOtees.
What the country needs today Is to
get the tarif adjusted to the business
needs OF the nation, divested alike OF
the high tariff worship and the free
trade frenzy. And when we say that
the greatest danger appears to lie
from the high tariff than from the free
trade side OF the argument, We base
that conclusion upon the persistence OF
the Idea that there IL q certain con
slant difference I'm labor cost OF similar
products at home and abroad. which
the tarin is supposed to equallze az a
d~ifercntial: and also upon the com
paratively small stress that Is laid In
current discussion upon the revenue
aspects Of the new tariff law about to
be framed.
The labor cost Of articles produced
In the United States Is an in%appropri-
ate basis of tariff rates, for the obvi.
ous reason that In many cases produc.
ton is cheaper here Than abroad on
articles which nobody would seriously
propose should for that reason be put
upon the free list. The importation Of
foreign articles in any considerable
volume affords sufficient evidence OF a
demand In exccss of the home supply
at the time at least, and there IL no
reason why such articles should not
yield a Just and moderate revenue for
the support of the government. II IL
the American custom to lay these
revenue duties upon articles that are
In competition with our home pro.
ducers. rather than upon things that
we do not produce at home, except In
the case OF pure luxuries, whose vol.
untary use by the people justifes the
levy OF the tax. We admit tea and
coffee free. for example, because they
are necessities Of universal use: but
on silks. diamonds, works OF art,
gloves. laccs and jewclry, we levy
duties because those who import these
things are abundantly able to pay n
duty upon them.
In the tariff bin that Is to be framed
this winter. the increasing revenue
needs OF the treasury will play a lead.
Ing part: and II would be the part OF
wisdom and honesty for the revenue
aspects of the tariff to be emphasized
In the tarir plank that IL about to be
adopted al Chicago. They who are
disposed to ignore or subordinate the
revenue aspect Of the tariY should re.
fresh their memories by n study OF
the Dinglcy laws construction. II was
made necessary by the failure OF the
Wilson law from the revenue stand.
point. That Democratic measure war
the first tariff that the free trade
party In the United States had been
able to construct in many years, and
IT proved to be. not only the most
~viciously discriminatory and Ubiquitous
OF all our protective ventures, but
from the @ point OF view was q
fiat failure. What Mr.. Dinglcy aimed
at In the house and what the senate
amendments still more Noteworthy
achieved. was an Increase In %venue
to be obtained by extending the list OF
taxable articles.
The new tarif Will have to be
framed with a view TO the II
will produce; and this fact should be
honestly faced and set forth. II will
not be honest, and It can only result in
disappointment and discredit, to pre-
tend that the guiding principle OF n
customs act, whose end and aim Ia On
annual revenue Of $3.50, O00, 900 to
$500, 900, 900, IL an effort to prevent or
to punish the predatory trusts which
operate by the same methods whether
their products are taxed or not by the
customs revenue. or by the internal
revenue, OF whether they are trusts
like railroads or gas or telephones
which do not deal In merchandise at
all. There Ia no tarinf on kerosene or
on cOpper-twO trusts whose opera,
lions are notorious. The tarinf on an.
thracite coal has been abolished with.
out Derccptible effect upon the for.
tunes Of the anthracite trust. II IL
worse than folly to encourage the idea
that articles properly dutIable and en-.
titled to contribute their share to the
ttna ~