Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1912-10-07
The Assumption Of Book Scholars.

The Assumption of Book Scholars.
The Portland Argus eackles in glee
because of recent utterances of former
President Eliot of Harvard. OF course
the Argus has not seen Thomas o.
Marvin's reply. Fearing that our Port
land ncighbor may not see it, we give
it in full below:
As President Eliot's expressions of
opinion on public matters will attract
a great deal of attention and possibly
have considerable influence, it is I'M
fortunate that his discussion of the
tariff question rests upon such erro-
neous assumptions.
His objections to the Republican tar
If policy are that it prevents the ex-
pansion of American commerce and
trade: that it protects manufacturing
Industries from foreign competition,
which would be wholesome for them;
that it supports artificial monopolies;
that 1T raises the price of many neces-
saries of life; and that it keeps the
country as whole exporting the rich
ness of it's soil rather than the pro-
ducts of its skilled labor.
This would be a damaging arraign-
ment if it We're true, but it is not.
From 1870 te 1872 under forty years of
protective tariff the internal COM
merce of the country has grown from
$1,000, 100000 to s33, 900 100000 and our
foreign trade has increased from ST.,
100000, 900 to $4,000, 100000. The wealth of
the country has increased from $780,
000,000,000 in 1870 to $4,000, 100000 in
1912. imports from $fS5, 000, 900 to ST.
653. 000, 900: exports from 1892 900 to
S2,204. 100000 the value of farm pro-
perty has increased from $4,000 900 to
al a00, 000,0 600 and the value of manu-
features from s4,232, 100000 to $20,672,-
000, 600
Nowhere in the annals of any other
nation can be found such a remarkable
development of domestic and foreign
commerce. When DIR. Eliot claims that
our tariff system prevents the ex
paLsion of American commerce and
trade. he evidently uses the word in
PiclSwickian sense, and certainly
overlocks the fact that protectionist
countries like the United States and
Germany are outstripping "free-trade'
England in the percentage of increases
in the foreign trade"
DIR. Eliot says that our existing tar
if protects manufacturing industries
from foreign competition, and he
might nave added that it protects our
wage earners from a scale of wages
which is as 100 in England as to $50
here, and much less in other European
and in Asiatic countries; but it does
not prohibit imports, as cotton manu-
facturers to the value of $65, 000 600
imported in the fiscal year 1912 testi-
fly, and as is demonstrated by total
imports of merchandise amounting in
value to 81, 653, 600, 600, much of which
might have been raised from our own
soil or manufactured in our mills and
factories.
But DIR. Eliot thinks that an even
larger degree of foreign competition
would be wholesome" for our manu-
facturers, view which he shares
with another academic economist,
Woodrow Wilson. There are people
who believe that corporal punishment
is good for children, but to enforce
this theory universally, whether it is
deserved or not, would prove an I'M
popular experiment. Presumably Dr.
Eliot believes that unrestricted for
eign competition would be whole
some" for our wage-earners too. But
American wage-earners who receive
two or three times as much as is paid
abroad for the same kind of work will
not take kindly to this suggestion.
Our tariff system unquestionably
promotes a great domestic production,
but the tariff does not breed monopo-
lies and trusts, for trusts and monop-
olies exist in low tariff and in free
trade countries. 1t cannot be re-
sponsible for the Standard OIL Trust
for there are no tariff duties on crude
or refined petroleum. BY stimulating
an enormous domestic production our
tariff system reduces instead of in
creases the price of the necessaries of
life. The increase of prices during the
mas. few years has been due to the
general prosperity of the country,
which has caused a demand for our
products which has equalled and in
some cases exceeded the supply. Hard
times are a sure cure for high prices,
and DR.. Eliot and DR.. Wilson both
are prescribing this infallible cure.
The most astonishing features of DR..
Eliot's arraignment of our tariff sys-
tenn is his claim that it keeps the
country as whole exporting the rich
ness OF it's soil rather than the. pro-
ducts OF it's skilled labor" This is
completeiy at variance with the facts.
gressive enough to make an mi