The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1908-08-07
PROPOSED IARlIf ri VISION.

Mr.. Richard II t1tlOn1s IS I
southern man in all that the term
implies. and for many years has
been a student Of economic ques.
tons bearing upon the growth and
material progress Of the southern
states. As editor Of the Mauufact-
urers Record the greatest puhIlca.
ton Of the kind in the south. Mr.
Edmonds, in the issue Of last week.
Presents his view on the proposed
tariff revision, which j. herewith r.
produced without comment As 'a5-
lows.
To place iron ore ID the tHT list
is the first demand II those aao are
urging the REVISION Of the s.rv aa5
iron schedule Approximate free
trade With all Of tAe coarse 4a
heavier products q ire 'arsa,e
also a part Of the naazran-H as
ingtou Correspondence \ew Ek
/ Journal Of Commerce
We have no doubt laa' tas> ss&s>
ment Is correct Free i,aa re Sc
free pig iron ara raw materials "a.
some manufacturers bar they are
the finished product to those who
produce them. and they are just IS
much entitled to tariff protection as
is the steel rail or the other finished
products Of the steel mills and ma
chine shops Of the country.
Free lumber is a demand Of the
tariff revision people, notwithstand-
ing that free lumber would greatly
iniure the vast lumber interests Of
the south.
Free coal is another demand,
ignoring the injury which would re-
suit to the coal producing interests
Of the entire south.
Free rice, free sugar, free hides,
free everything else which the south
produces will be the demand Of
those who are fighting for tariff re-
vision, which, in this case, is a
purely selfish fight Of interests
seeking to benefit at the expense Of
others. They demand protection for
their own products on the ground
that they are finished goods and are
entitled TO protection, but they
struggle INCREASINGLY, to secure free
materials at the expense Of others.
The honest protectionist and the
honest tariff for revenue mar should
alike believe in equal and exact JUS
tice to every interest. No tariff for
revenue advocate can honestly ad-
vocate free trade for some things
and a duty on others, for in doing
80 he is advocating discriminating
protective duties, absolutely con.
trary to the doctrine that he pro-
~fessesa to believe. No man who
honestly believes in protection as
essential to the best interests Of the
whole country has a right to ask
for protection on his products with
out being willing to deal with
equal fairness with Others who need
protection.
1t is not to be wondered at that
when the south, or rather when the
south's political agitators, who know
as much about tariff as the man in
the moon does about the things that
90 on IN this world, clamOr for free
trade or for tariff revision at the ex-
pense Of their own section, the peo-
pie of other sections are willing to
let them have their way, since in
doing SO they would thus vastly en-
nance the advantages Of the manu-
facturers Of the north and west. II
the New England maker Of machin-
cry finds that public men in the
south are anxious, even for free iron
ore and free coal and free pig iron,
why should he undertake to save
thts section from the result Of its
own folly, when by permitting the
theorists of the south to have their
way he is enabled to buy cheaper
raw materials out Of which to make
the finished machinery he sells to
the south2 One cannot blame the
New England manufacturer, al
though the wisdom Of it may be
questioned, in following this course
when he finds that in playing the
political agitators Of the south for
suckers he finds that they bite so
readily that the catching Of them