Daily Arizona silver belt., 1910-01-19
h The Halls of Congress
PX ThN
BY TAV. " Special Washington Correspondence.


 The United States is on the verge of tariff wars with Germany France and Canada, as a result of the provision of the Payne-Aldrich- Shoot law imposing a maximum additional duty of 9 per cent against imports from any country which does not grant us it's minimum rate.
 March 31 is the date on which President Taft must, under the terms of Section , of the new tariff law, announce what countries the maxi mum rate is to be enforced against. As the new tariff rates now stand, they average about per cent higher than the Dingley law rates. With the application of the D per cent maximum duty against the imports of any country dis eliminating against our products, the revision upward of the rates on the products of such na- tions will amount to 27 per cent. This rate is almost equivalent to prohibiting the country against which 1t is assessed from selling us any thing whatever. Or, to put it in another way, the application of the maximum rates means an almost complete cessation of trade between the United States and the country against which they are applied.
 No one doubts that if we apply the maximum rate against Germany, France and Canada, each of these countries will fight back with retaliatory rates against our products.
 If the United States engages in tariff war, the hardship, as usual, must fall upon the con sumer. The benefit will accrue to the tariff trusts and combinations of American manufac- turers. When exchange between two nations ceases, or even declines, the consumers of the countries involved are placed more than ever at the mercy of the home manufacturers. The trusts have little more perfect monopoly of home markets than they enjoyed before The penalty to consumers is increased cost of living When tariff war is in progress, the govern ment finances suffer as result of decreased revenue The tariff trusts alone are the bene- fciaries
 The history of three recent tariff wars veri- lies the above statements. France and Italy en gagged in tariff war in the period between 1888 and 1898, Germany and Russia between 1892 and 1894 and France and Switzerland in the period between 1892 and 1895.
 The Italian France war began in consequence of ltaiy's introduction of new and increased ariff. It ended in neither side gaining any con siderable concessions, but as shown by the actual igures of trade, both suffered seriously during he war, and Italy s exports to France have nev- 1T regalned their old volume In 1886. two ears before the trade hostilities opened, French imports from Italy amounted to 309O00.O00l rancs. In 1887, the year before the war start 'd the figure was 07,000,000. In 1888, the first ear of the retaliatory fighting, French imports rom Italy dropped to 81,000000 francs. or learly one-half, while by 1895, the eighth yearI # the war, the figure was 114,000O00 francs. n the meantime, there was a corresponding de- rease in French exports to Italy.
 The history of the other two tariff wars was dentlca, or very nearly so, to that of the Ital | an-franco war. In every tariff war that has yer occurred the exports and imports of the ma | ions involved fell off to remarkable degree. 7ith a resultant tendency toward increased liv. ng expenses and increased unemployment.
 When the maximum and minimum cIausa of | he Payne Aldrich Shoot bill was in the mak- | 1g, the democrats made bitter fight against $ retention. Senator Shively of Indiana. char cterzed 1t as the 'prize ioker'' of the bill Inch was giving it noteworthy distinction. but men may prove to have been not unjustifed.