Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1912-10-29
The WANAMAKER
PROSPERITY PLEA
Fd|Iacies Of His Argument Dis.
| sected In Counter Ap-
peal to Merchants.
FREE TRADE NOT PROPOSED.
Panics Occur Without Regard to Tariff
Revisicn-5usiness Men Directing
the Wilson Campaign.

Panics Occur Without Regard to Tariff
Revision-5usiness Men Directing
the Wilson Campaign.
To the Merchants and Business Men
of the United States:
Mr.. John Wanamaker has issued a
"note Of warning" against the ''destruc
ton of industries" which he says will
follow the election of Woodrow Wilson
To bark back twenty years in Amer
lean industry is to deal with ancient
history. During this score OF years
American industries have advanced SC
far In competing power that com
parison even with 1890 is ridiculous
In that year our exports of manufac-
lures were less than two hundred mil
lions in annual value; today they are
ut the rate Of twelve hundred millions,
q gain of 600 per cent.
How Is disaster to come from the
competition on our ground Of those
manufacturers with whom we are sue
cessfully competing on their ground?
1t is a poor time to cry distress when
we are exporting steel manufactures
at the rate of million dollars daily.
During Mr. Cleveland's first admin
istration, 1885 to 1889. there was no
panic-there was only prosperity. But
Mr.. Wanamaker forgets this. Mr.. Har-
rison, Republican, succeeded in 1899.
nc r
Wanamaker himself was in Presi-
dent Harrison's cabinet, and it was
then the conditions matured which re-
suited in the panic of 1893, four months
after Mr.. Cleveland took Office the sec
ond time.
Mr.. Wanamaker quotes from various
sources certain records of distress. but
neglects to say that every one of them
bears a date not less than six months
before the tariff bill of 1894 became a
law and, as matter of fact, before
Its terms were known.
The truth Is that neither a Repub-
lican administration nor high tariff
is any protection against panics, and
they occur, as everybody knows, ex-
cept Mr.. Wanamaker. quite without
regard to tariff changes. Our very
worst paflics have occurred under Re-
publican administrations.
In 1908 the Republican party in Its
platform declared. "unequivocally for
the revision Of the tariff" but this
promise. soon so recklessly broken,
had no deterrent effect upon improve
NEXT In business conditions. 1t can
not therefore be said that the mere
threat of tariff revision causes dis
| tress, for there was no doubt in 1908
not only that the tariff was to be re-
vised, but that 1t was to be revised
| downward.
Ignoring the Present.
Most important, however, in Mr..
Wanamaker's letter is his failure to
refer to existing conditions. He prom
ises all sorts of disaster in a very
general way, but has nothing to say
| about current facts of industry. For
example, it has been well known since
1910 that the public demanded the
downward revision Of the tariff which
Mr.. Taft promised and later denied.
| A Democratic house of representa-
tives was elected in 1910 on that spe-
cial ISSUE That house passed series
Of tariff measures, some Of them over
! the presidents veto. On each of these
measures a number of Progressive Re
publicans voted with the Democrats
| One of these bills reduced the duty on
STEEL Yet, although q revision OF the
steel schedule was and is pending. the
steel industry has revived, prices are
advancing and. strangest of all, from
Mr.. Wanamaker's point of view. large
investments are now being made In
new steel plants.
If the danger that Mr.. Wanamakel
foresees is real how is it that these in
vestments proceed? How is it that
manufacturers all over the country are
increasing their plants?
Mr.. Wanamaker seems ignorant aist
of the actual labor conditions Higl
wages are not necessarily a sign o.
prosperity. AS Professor Fisher point
out, century and half ago laborer
In Rhode Island received wage o
$40 daily, but it took four days worl
to buy a pair of shoes. Nor are higl
wages a result of the protective tariff
The Lawrence strike brought out thi
fact wildly There the textile manu-
facturers have a very high protecdv'
tariff to favor them, but the wages o
their employees were shown to be In
defensibIy low A fair comparison |
that between England and Germany
both thickly populated. one having n
protection and the other high nrotet
ton. How do wages stand In tbes
countries today? Those in German
are II per cent lower than Englis
wages, and not only so, but the cos
of living in Germany is II per cen
higher, so that the protected Germa
workman earns the smaller wage an
pays the higher cost
Free Trade Bogy.
II it not truly ridiculous for Nj
Wanamaker to raise the bogy OF fire
trade? No party advocates that M
wanamaker NUS Know that the Den