Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1908-11-27
BEYOND need
OF PROTECTION
Our Nations A!ntant industries"
Have Reached Maturity
CARNEGIE'S VIEWS ON TARIFF

DAhNEUlc , WcWS UN IAnlFT
Says Duties on Manufactured Goods
Should Be Reduced or Abolished--
Favors Tax on Luxures Used by
the Rich--Duiies Upon Imports
For Needed Revenue Should Not
Become Party Question
New York, Nov. pa notable ar
ticle from Andrew Carnegie, dealing
with the tariff, will appear in the forth
coming December number of the Cen
fury Magazine. in which the iron mas
ter takes the position that Infant in
dustries" no longer need protection.
He declares that the steel and other
industries have now grown beyond the
need Of tariff protection; that duties
on luxuries used by the rich should be
maintained, but that those on manufac-
tursd articles should be reduced great
ly, or abolished entirely when no
longer needed
Mr.. Carnegies article is entitled my
Experience With and Views Upon the
Tariff" He reviews the tariff move
ments down to the present Dingley law.
and says that conditions have changed
so greatly in the interval that the tariff
should now be viewed from new stand
point He assumes that q decided ma
jority of American voters are agreed:
'First-That it 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
tSined, such protection should cease,
except as noted hereunder
"Third--That should the experiment
succeed, protection becomes unneces-
sary, and should steadily but gradual
ly be abolished, provided that the home
supply of any article absolutely neces-
sary for the national safety shall not
hereby be endangered"
Further on Mr. Carnegie says: I'VE
have already become by far the great
est Of all manufacturing nations. Our
infant industries of the past have
reached maturity, and, speaking gener-
ally, are now quite able to protect
themselves
"While the tariff as a 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 it is to this
feature l bespeak the special atten-
ton 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 obtaining revenue"
After giving tables showing that the
bulk of tariff duties are collected on
luXures used by the rich, Carnegie says:
Thus does the American tariff, in
happy contrast to others, almost ex-
empt 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 enonomic law"
Mr.. Carnegie says of future tariff leg
islation: The next congress dealing
with the tariff will probably be in
| clined 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
increase them on some articles used
almost exclusively by the rich, and this
not for protection, but for revenue not
drawn from the workers, but from the
rich.
This is the first and prime duty Of
congress. We should not forget that
government expenditures have in
creased enormously in recent years and
that additional revenue is required.
ats second duty is to reduce duties
greatly upon manufactured articles and
to abolish entirely those no longer
needed"
Further on he says: THE infant we
have nursed approaches the day when
he should be weaned from tariff milk
and fed upon the stronger food Of free
competition. 1t needs little II any
more nOurishing, but the change should
not be made abruptly.
"There Is no occasion for haste or
for any revolutionary step in coming
tariff legislation. 1t Is better to go lit