The Washington times., 1912-11-26
BIG NAvlEs AND HIGH TARIFFS.

The political parties that pin their faith to low
tariffs are also invariably the political parties that
believe in little navies And the political parties that
stand for low tariffs and little naves are also com.
PEELED by the logic Of their philosophy to ndorse the
economic doctrine Of buying in the cheapest market
and selling in the dearest market"
Those parties assert that the problems involved
in high protection concern only the fiscal issue, and
the subjugaon Of the trusts and the statistical de-.
bauch called the high cost Of living"
But they DON'T
They involve, instead, the largely material and
decently sentimental question Of national selfde.
pendence and national existence.
There are all kinds Of schedule abuses under the
existing tariff. There always will be the possibility
Of schedule abuses under any protective tariff ever
high protection country like this are sold today,
and will continue to be sold, for higher price at
home than they are sold for in q low protection
country like England.
But, when we have made these several adms-
sions we still think that the against high pro.
lection is not complete unless the case for little
navy is complete, and unless the for buying in
the cheapest market and selling in the dearest market
is complete As WE'LL
As for the "axiomatc doctrine" Of buying dear
and selling cheap that has been demolished very
thoroughly by trades unionism, and the creation Of
the Interstate Commerce Commission, and by mum.
ber OF other human contrvances for securing the old
economic equities which We are now calling by the
new name Of social justice"
So far as the doctrine Of the little navy is con-
cerned we have to 60 to China and to Turkey and
to Russia to find out just how it doesn't work. because
all the other countries with any money to spend have
either got big naves or are getting big navies as fast
as they can buy them.
The only country Of any value in the present dis.
cussion that is adherng to free trade is Great Britain
and Great Britain would now have preferential trade
spared the strength to see his campaign for empire
reciprocity through to a finish.
In Germany high protection Is not merely retained
AS it was not originally adopted-to foster native
industries and provide . living wage for its work.
people.
1t is part OF the national policy las distinguished
from the fiscal policy Of an empire that believes i,
expedent to make itself independent Of other coun.
tries and selisustaning, SO that war could starve
it into submission either through cutting of its
sources OF food supply or its ordinary implements
and materials Of industrial life.
Also, ship subsidies are another form OF high
protection; but the subsidies voted by England and
Germany to their mercantile marine are not given
only in the interests Of either the seamen or the
companies they are paid because those countries are
convinced that-as maritime powers-the existence
Of those vessels is an asset vital to their liberty
as men or guns.
So, we submit that this phase Of what is made.
quately called the tariff issue" has not received the
attention it deserves, and it is phase that we can
scarcely afford to ignore.
When The Hague Tribunal is something more than
monument to the wars that it has failed to avert
we will be able to think about the tariff as question
concerned only with the arts Of pesce but until that
hannens il NAV be lust as much national nuesfiou