The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1912-02-26
For Presidential Elector
HOLDING Ills JOS.

Mr. Underwood. i'll his examination
Of The Right and Wrong Of tho Tar
in Question:" in the last wv.k $ Indie
pondcnt. dovotos six-scv"nthS of his
work 80 the wrong Of il and one
soronth 10 tho right Of it. This Is IN"
balanc, of his mind rs between hold
ina the American market for our
selves or throwing II opon 10 an Tor
ni.a producers. He thinks il wrong
that We should retain control of II
own market and right mat "" should
make ii "a FREE. browsing place 70: for
eieners in the proportion Of six TO
one. Evidently Mr. Underwood is not
an impartial judge in this complicated
aud important matter.
But finally Mr.. Underwood gets by
the American consumer and reaches
the American workinenlan. These
are two separate persons in his mind.
although in fact they are one. 1t is
true that thu consuming capacity is
NOT The same thing as the working
capacity. hut an .AIl-Wise Creator has
provided each person with both of
these capacities. and the mass of us
hive to make. use of both in order
30 live. MIR. Underwood would he &:
tllllt'll more MtiSliiN III = WI 'hS
tariff than he is if ne could colnpre-
hcnd this fact. Eut let us hear what
y. has To say on things as he sup
posses thai they are. He sets forth his
nitro scheme in this short para
.,.tph:
Il am very far from being in favor
O.: amy course which will reduce the
wages of the American workman. In
fact. / know that his condition would
H. improved by a reduction of the
:lri!f 10 q competitive basis. 1t would
put The Industries of the country in
S,irh II healthy condition that when
bard times came the foreign goods
you'd suffer while the American
workman held his place. Behind this
high protective wall the American
people are obliged to purchase alone
FROM the American manufacturer.
This expands conditions and develops
business To such an extent that when
h:rl times COM" there is no place for
i"tr"nchnlcnt, 10 place for surplus
~, uductiom. and tho home factories
ilal. to shut down. IL W" build our
::rcat industries along conservative
lines. always recognizing fair com
petition and rates of duty for revenue
only. while we may not huild them SO
rapidly as under the forcing of the
dollhouse process. We shall overbal-
:inrc it by preventing the downfall
and disaster of oNcr-production which
so often throws the American work
man out IF employment altogether"
This is u curious. not to say a con-
fused. ~cXegcsis. We give Mr.. Under
wood credit for meaning Well: but
what does he mean? He tells us that
under his system of no protection.
with the American market open to
every English and German manufac-
turer. when hard times came the
foreign goods would suffer while the
American workman held his place"
This would h" delightful if it were
So: n if Mr.. Tnderwood's say-so
cnuld make it so perhaps it would he
so; hut would it be so? The leader
of the Democratic majority in the
lower branch of congress assures US.
With absolute self-confdence. that il
we should have unlimited competition
here lin the American market between
L products and foreign products,
and hard times should overtake us,
the American workingman would hold
his Job. But what would the hard
times come from under those condi-
lions except from the pressure Of
foreign-made goods in our market?
And il the pressure of foreisn-made
goods in our market was so great
as TO bring about these hard times,
what reason is there for saying that
this foreign competition would sud-
denly-one might fairly say mirac-
ulously-relax just at the point where
this foreign pressure had pushed our
W mills and working men into a
condition of idleness? Has not Mr..
Underwood the fairness. or sense
enough, TO see, that every American
conditions would add so much to the
actual and future market area Of
h foreign competitors? Or does
he for a moment imagine thai compe-
tition is a benevolent operation which
proceeds until it is felt--that is to
say, until it is effective-and then
ceases to operate until the pressed
competitor can recover his win and
begin again?
The real nature Of competition in
every line or vocation Is that when
one of two competitors begins to get
the better Of the other. the success
full n rubs his hands with glee and
keeps at it harder than ever. Does
he successful lawyer begin to make
feeble pleas simply because his com
petitors are not keeping up with him?
Does the successful newspaper hand
over part Of its circulation and ad.