Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-11-23
Declares Tariff for Protection
No Longer Necessary.
MAKE RICH PAY REVENUE
Abolish Gradually All Duties Except
on Luxuries.
TINE TO WEAN THE "INFANT'
Our Great Industries Now Beyond
the Danger of Injury by Foreign
Competition.

NEW YORK. November 2S.-A nota-
BILE article from Andrew Carnegie.
dealing with the tariff. will appear in
the forthcoming December number of
the Century Magazine in which the iron
master takes the position that infant
| industries" no longer need protection;
that the steel and other industries have
now grown beyond the need Of tariff pro-
lection; that duties on luXuries used by
the rich should be maintained, but that
those on manufactured articles should
be reduced greatly or abolished entirely
when no longer needed.
Mr.. Carnegie's article is entitled MY
Experience With and Views Upon the
| Tariff" He first reviews the tariff move
ments down to the present Dingley law.
giving a number of anecdotes in which
he figured with the prominent tariff lead
ers Of the various periods. He adds:
Much water has run under the
bridges since then. Many changes have
occurred, and hence many changes can
be judiciouSly made in the tariff. There
is no doubt about this; but, on the other
hand, / have been led to the conclusion
that conditions have changed so greatly
| in the interval that the tariff should
now be viewed from new standpoint.
| The writer assumes that q decided ma
jority Of our voters are agreed:
"First-That 1T is advisable for new
countries to encourage capital by pro-
| tective duties, when seen to be neces-
| Sary to develop new industries.
''Second-That after full and eXhaus-
tive trials. If success be not finally at
tanned, such protection should cease, eX-
cept as noted hereunder.
| "Third-That should the experiment
succeed, protection becomes unnecessary
and should steadily, but gradually, be
abolished, provided that the home supply
of any article absolutely necessary for
| the national safety shall not thereby be
endangered.
Our Industries Full Grown.
Further on, Mr.. Carnegie says:
I'VE have already become by far the
greatest of all manufacturing nations.
Our infant industries of the past have
reached maturity; and, speaking gener-
ally, are now quite able TO protect them
selves. The pulling infant in the nurses
arms that Congress in 1871 nursed SO ten
derby Will appear next year before its
guardian as the stalNart champion who
has conquered in many fields. thus prov
ing himself worthy of the protection be-
slowed upon him in his youth, and fully
vindicating the protective policy pursued.
While the tariff as whole even today
has ceased to be primarily beneficial as a
measure of protection, it has become of
vast Importance from the standpoint of
revenue, and 1t iS to this feature l be-
speak the special attention of readers of
all parties, for duties upon imports not
for protection, but for needed revenue,
should. not become a party question.
Reasonable men of all parties may be
expected to approve this plan of obtain
ing revenue"
bulk of tariff duties are collected on
luxuries used by the rich, Mr.. Carnegie
says:
Thus does the American tariff, in
happy contrast to others, almost exempt
the poor and heavily tax the rich, Just
as it should; for it is they who have the
ability to pay as required by the highest
economic authority
Mr.. Carnegie says of future tariff legis-
latiOn:
Let the Rich Pay.
THE next Congress dealing with the
tariff will probably be inclined at first
to reduce duties all around and perhaps
to abolish some, but its first care should
be to maintain present duties and even
in some cases to increase them, upon
all articles used almost exclusively by
the rich, and this not for protection,
but for revenue, not drawn from the
workers, but from the rich. That is the
first and prime duty of Congress. We
should not forget that government eX-
penditures have increased enormously in
recent years, and that additional revenue
Is required.
Its second duty is to reduce duties
greatly upon manufactured articles and
to abolish entirely those no longer
needed
THE writer has co-operated in making
several reductions as steel manufacturers
became able to bear reductions Today
they need no protection. unless perhaps
in some new SpecialtieS unknown to the
writer, because steel is now produced
cheaper here than anywhere else, not
withstanding the higher wages paid per
man. Not ton of steel is produced
in the world at as small an outlay for
labor as in our country. Our coke, coal
and iron ores are much cheaper, because
more easily obtained and transported, and
our output per man is so much greater
owing chiefly to the large standardized
orders Obtainable only upon our CONT
nent: the specialized rolling mills; ma
chnery kept weeks upon uniform shapes
without change of rolls, and several other
advantages.
Foreign Competition Not Feared.
The day has passed when any foreign
country can seriously affect our steel
manufactures. tariff or no tariff. The
republic has become the home of steel,
and this is the age Of steel. 1t may
probably be found that there exists the
small manufacturer OF some speciality
in steel which still needs a measure of
protection. The writer hopes, if such
there be, the committee will give pa
tient attention to such cases. 1t is bet
ter to err on the side of giving these too
much rather than too little support.
Every enterprise of this kind should be
fostered. The writer speaks only of the
ordinary articles and forms OF steel as
being able to stand without protection.
He hopes there are today pioneers in
several new lines requiring protection
which will be generously given tempo
rarily. The committee should welcome
such special cases"
Mr.. Carnegie says that several other
features of the tariff should be carefully
looked into, more particularly illumi-
mating oils, thread and cutlery.
Time to Wean the. Infant"
Further on, Mr. Carnegie says:
1.-The infant We have nursed approach
es the day when he should be weaned
from tariff milk and fed upon the