Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1908-10-16
President Eliot on Tariff Evils.


President Charles w. Eliot, Of Harvard
University, has written adispassionate analy.
woRthyathe critical consideration Of every
voter He says:
"The high tariff which has prevailed In
the United States since the civil war has
done Q little good In the way OF building up
T1onopolles may, but II has done immeasur.
able harm to American industries and COM
merce and 10 likely to do more and more
harm AZ time goes on. In the first place. 1t
has postponed and obstructed the effective
entrance Of American products into the
markets OF the world. Many American In
dustries, including the fundamental indus
try OF agriculture, produce much more sala-
BILE material than can possibly be sold in the
United States, and all these industries must
sell their surplus products outside the United
States at great disadvantage because the
products have paid high duties on the raw
OF partially manufactured materials which
enter into them, on the implements or ma
chlnery which were used In producing them
and on the structures which sheltered and
distributed them. Az country which pro-
duces in normal years much more grain,
meat and cotton and many more manufac-
Jared goods than 1t can consume, IL is the
interest OF the United States TO develop for
itself world markets under the most favor
able conditions possible. The tariff pre-
vents or obstructs the attainment oil. those
favorable conditions.
SECONDLY, the tariff wall and the refusal
Of American registry TO foreign. built vessels
have together destroyed the American ocean.
carrying trade, once q valuable American
Industry. A nation which prohibits the i'm.
nl;tatiOn Of the natural exports of other
isasana, or, what amounts TO much the same
yhlhg, charges higher duties than other man
uiaCturing nations charge on foreign raw or
unfinished products, cannot maintain prof.
liable carrying trade with other nations.
The ocean-carrying trade will be possessed
by the freest trading nation or nations. Sub
sides alone can never restore the lost carry.
ing trade, for where there is no steady, profit
able exchange ofproducts across seas there
can be no profitable ocean carrying trade.
The national Government might as well
subsidize railroad trains between two parts
OF this country which had no exchangeable
products.
again, the high tariff is the accepted
Democratic way oil comforting privileges by
law on individual men or small classes OF
mc0s oUmOtLmOb tuO pthNic6OA 0ho
really few In number. At other times the
privileged class may be fairly numerous and
vet an Insignificant proportion OF the total
population. Despotic and aristocratic Gov
ernments have long practlced the creation
by law of privileged or favored men or
classes. The American Democracy has
abolished, or had nothing to do with, the
ancient privileges of mobiles, court favorites,
sinecure. holders and commercial adventur.
ers by royal monopoly charter, but has been
more than ready to create privileged manu-
turers by tariff Legislation, 10 spite OF the
fact that equality before the law has been
theoretically the very foundation OF Ameri-
can government and society.
"The enrichment of Q few individuals or
of small class ct the expense OF the bulk
of the community, and with no benefit 10
the State, 10, however, not the worst result
of the protective policy. The worst result
is the legal violation by the Republic itseli
of fundamental equity, and this result 10
aggravated by the falsely altruistic argu
ments used In support OF the tariff. Inc
man who acts unjustly for reasons which
seem to him benevolent or humanitarian ID
more dangerously poisoned than the man
who 10 unjust TOR straight selfish reasons and
admits to himself Just what he 10 doing and
why.
"The fallacies OF protection are all the
worse because they are covered with the
pauseous slime of q pretended altruism. In
short, the chief objection to protective legis'
lation is q moral one-namely, that II d.
minshes the enterprise, self'reliance and
~ H. ''re - - --T-'ff'1G ss z whole,
laasgla TO ssroJa mental and
ayU wuIch HA5 oxen i0f lltg years
g. 10 Ustao AZ home alu contracting
n.ftgan exchanges abroad because two
ugpsrAtlone II yoters baye hotn hoodwinked
/ 5eu 4 word ~'pruteGIion. ~ q tGYialon q
rs.5a- taei. g5a 3Y aa ~ ~,
/ il Il ssiy es asFsa iien VI National
I,osisalurs mases toe tariff oothlng Dut 3no
mesns among many Of raisl0g ueedbd reye-
raj.
0us.cGly asserted and very gener.
/ e -.C .Is tne 3H'at0i tha iaFiH q 60
/ protect American workmen against the low.
| or paid workmen of other countries, but
tha ia obviously neither the purpose nor the
efYqct of the high tariff. II s not its pur'
nose because the tariff rates on almost all
prniucts are many told the differences In
| labor cost This fact has been demonstrated
| ovar and over again 10 governmental and
| nrivate inquiries and reports on numerous
indnstries, That the tariff Is not necessary
| IN he maintenance OF American wages or
A merican standards Of living appears clear.
| lv from the common practice OF selling
American goods in foreign countries at much
lowsr prices than they are sold In the U nited
S,s,es and vet at q profit. The high Ameri.
cad wages have been paid by the manuiac.
tnTer who finds II TO be his interest TO sell
his goods abroad at much lower prices than
| he sells them at home.
aWhat high tariff really protects Is some
sors of invested capital. IL protects cap
ital BY excluding the competition OF other
csnitsl elsewhere invested. The tariff es-
tabishes a tax paid by the great body OF
coasumers, not TO the Government for its sup
noft. but TO the capitalists who have invest
I'd their money In those plants which pro
dnce nrotected articles. The protection has
two conspicuous efects-hrst It enables
aome capital TO earn at home larger profit ;
secondly, IL exempts the manufacturer from
stndyng and adopting improvements OF or
gsnz ,tion of method. tie 10 relieved OF
areign competition and has no adequate
motive 10 seize on every opportunity To i'm.
move his organization and his machinery
and increase his skill. Monopoies are al
vavs unDrogressive because they are reliev
al If c0noetitlon II the American people
mean 10 maintain their individual liberty 10
Industries trades, commerce and politics,
thew must steadily defend themselves against
mo1oD0es, whether created and maintained
hv tariffs, unlimited franchises or associa-
iona of either woTkmen or capitalists"
S-o-S