Virginia free press. (Charlestown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1832-1916, 1912-12-05

for protecting anf promoting our
foreign trade. It IL natural that
competitive countries should view
with some concern this steady
expansion Of our commerce. II IN
some instances thsaEeasure taken b.
them to meet It are not entirely equis
table. remedy should be found In
former messages have described the
negotiations Of the department Of
state with foreign governments for the
adjustment Of the maximum and min
imtm tariff as provided in section 2
of the tariff law Of 1909. The advan-
tages secured by the adjustment Of
our trade relations under this law
have continued during the last year,
and some additional cases Of discrim-
inatory treatment Of which We had
reason to complain have been re-
moved. The department OF state has
for the first time in the history Of
this country obtained substantial
most-favored-nation treatment from
all the countries of the world. There
are, however. other instances which,
while apparently not constituting UNI
due discrimination In the sense Of
section 2, are nevertheless exceptions
to the complete equity OF tariff treatS
ment for American products that the
department OF state consistently has
sought to obtain for American COM
merce abroad.
Necessity for supplementary Leigsla-
Iation.
These developments confirm the
opinion conveyed to you in my annual
message of 1911, that while the max
imum and minimum provision of the
tariff law of 1909 has been fully JUS
titled by the success achieved in re-
moving previously existing undue dis
examinations against American prod
ucts, yet experience has shown that
this feature Of the law should be
amended in such way as to prevent
fully effective means of meeting
the varying degrees of discriminatory
treatment of American commerce in
foreign countries still encountered, as
well as to protect against Injurious
treatment on the part of foreign gov
ernments, through either legislative
Of administrative measures, the fnan-
cial interests abroad of American cit
liens whose enterprises enlarge the,
market for American commodities.
can not too strongly recommend
to congress the passage of some such
enabling measure as the bill which
was recommended by the secretary
of state in his letter Of December Is,
1911. The object of the proposed leg
islation is, in brief, to en-
able the executive to apply,
as the case may require, to any
or all commodities, whether or not on
the free list from country which
discriminates against the United
States, a graduated scale of duties
up to the maximum of rs per cent ad
valorem provided in the present law.
Flat tariffs are out of date. u y
The message told what the govern
ment has done in connection with the
Balkan war and in placing the gov
eminent of Liberia in position to pay
its debts. The new condition of af-
fairs in China was set forth, and
then our relations with Central and
South American governments were
set forth in more detail It concluded
as follows:
Congress should fully realize the
conditions which obtain in the world
as we find ourselves at the threshold
of our middle age as nation. We
have emerged full grown as a peer in
the great concourse of nations. We
have passed through various forma-
tive periods We have been self-cen-
tered in the struggle to develop our
domestic resources and deal with our
domestic questions. The nation is
now too mature to continue in its for
eign relations those temporary expe-
dents natural to a people to whom do
nestle affairs are the sole concern.
In the past our diplomacy has often
consisted, in normal times, in mere
assertion of the right to international
existence. We are now in a larger
relation with broader rights Of our
own and obligations to Others than
ourselves. A number of great guild
ing principles we're laid down early in
the history of this government. The
recent task Of our diplomacy has been
to adjust those principles to the con-
ditions of today, to develop their corol-
laries, to find practical applications OF
the old principles expanded to meet
new situations. Thus are being
evolved bases upon which can rest
the superstructure of policies which
must grow with the destined progress
of this nation. The successful con-
duct Of our foreign relations demands
broad and a modern view. We can
not meet new questions nor build for
the future II we confine ourselves to
outworn dogmas of the past and to
the perspective appropriate at our
emergence from colonial times and
conditions The opening Of the Pana-
ma canal will mark new era in our
international life and create new and
worldwide conditions which, with
their vast correlations and conse-
quences, will obtain for hundreds Of
years to come. We must not wait for
events to overtake US unawares With
continuity of purpose we must deal
with the problems Of our external re
lations by diplomacy modern, re-
sourceful magnanimous, and httingly
expressive of the high ideals of .
great nation.
VIII. H. TAFT.
The White House. 81