Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1908-11-12
MORAL SIDE OF TARIFF.
Violates American Ideal of Equal
ity Before the Law.
LENDS ITSELF TO MONOPOLY.
Protection Is Device For Enhancing
Prices by Tax on Commerc@.
Tends to Enrich a Few at the Ex
pense of the Public at Large.

pense of the Public at Large.
In a paper read before the interna-
| tional free trade conference held al
London, Aug. 4 to I, President Jordan
of Leland Stanford university gives
his view Of the protective system:
Every argument for and against the
tariff has been stated a thousand
times. There is nothing new to be
said. But at the bottom of every argu-
ment remains the necessary recogni-
ton Of It's primal iniquity. The fun
damental idea in American pOlity is
that Of a square deal to all men, each
standing on his own feet, with ex-
elusive privileges or governmental aid
to no man and to no class of men. III
equality before the law, entail, primo
geniture, church control of state, state
control of church, class consciousness
and class legislation were evils which
our fathers would not tolerate. They
chose the hardships Of Plymouth
rock and later the hazards of war
rather than put up with any OF them.
If there is one American idea or
ideal to be segregated from the rest
it is this of equality before the law.
And it is this ideal which is violated alb
solutely and continuously in the theory
and in the practice of the protective
tariff
The protective tariff is a device for
enhancing the home price Of the arti-
cles 1t covers by a tax on commerce,
BY forcing the body Of citizens to pay
tribute to producers at home. These
producers may be capitalists or di-
rectors of industry, or they may be
the laborers who contribute effort only
without responsibility for the way in
which effort may be applied. 1t mat
tiers not whether capitalists or labor
ers, either or both, actually profit at
your expense or mine. The law in
tends that they should do So 1t is
breach of the principle Of equality be-
fore the law that either should thus
profit. AS a matter of fact, there IS
little gain to the laborer, because con-
tinued immigration brings him new
competitors and because he is in his
turn one of the general public who
suffer from the commerce tax. AS
wages are raised, so is the cost OF IlV-
ing. For the director OF employer or
labor the case is on the average not
much better, because the cost of his
product is enhanced by the tariff
taxes on everything which enters into
his process of manufacture. In so far
as a tariff is successful it is virtually
prohibitory. That the evils of prOhib-
ttory tariffs are so little felt is due to
the fact that our country is world in
itself, with untaXed trade throughout
a district comprising nearly half the
specialized production area Of the
globe Yet within this favored area
it is possible sometimes to corner
product or to mOnOpOliZe production.
To this end the tariff naturally lends
itself, though it would be unfair to de-
clare it to be the parent of all trusts.
It is enough to recognize that its gen.
eral purpose is the Same-the develop
ment through legal means Of indus
trial and economic monopoly, the en-
rtchment Of a class or Of a group of
classes at the expense of the citizens
at large This is theoretically con-
trary to American policy. If the prin-
cipleS of our republic in regard to eX-
elusive privileges are right, then the
theory and the practice of the protec-
tive tariff are wrong. That 1t works
through the method Of indirect taxa
ton DISCUSSES but does not justify its
tniQuity.
The tariff is defended on the ground
Of the value to q growing nation of in
FAINT industries, Of diversified ecOnom-
les. We may not deny that at times
there has been financial gain to the
community through taxing the farmer
to build up the manufacturer. 1t is
not politically right or just to do this,
but if it were the policy in practice
assumes the form of a vested right
which becomes In time a vested
wrong Around these vested rights
other conditions grow up, and
change of any sort works havoc with
related or associated interests. JUS
tee becomes possible only by the per
petratiOn of varied forms of injustice.
To touch the tariff in any way sends
q shock. through the financial world,
throughout the body polite. Tariff
revision Is therefore kind of effort
which can be based on no principles.
It is a blind rush among various
choices of evils. The only way out is
to make taxation blind. like other eff
forts at justice, its sole function that
of raising revenue.
In another way the theory of the in
FAINT industry has proved fallacious.
There are in America today no infant
industries. They have grown faster
than the nation has. Our huge indus
trial combinations overshadOw the
world. Just as in their alliance they
dominate us in some degree they have
the whip hand over other nations. If
anything American can take care Of
itself 1t is our. infant industries. Yet
they demand the tariff as q necessity
Of existence as insistently as ever
they did. The lull in the self assertion
Just at present is due to the hand
writing on the wall. not TO any lessen
ing desire to be fed at the public ex-
penSe
The actual injury TO American pros
perity traceable to the tariff may not
be enormously great. 1t has doubt
less been exaggerated. 1t lends it
GOLF RI oxo coronation, IT 0oaLynS ne an