The Hartford republican., 1913-08-01
when A DEMOCRATS
OK IS GORED
Foss Is Now Anxious to Save His
Business from the Effects
Of Free-Trade.


Gratis to be scolding at Governor Foss
of Massachusetts, in the furious man
ner they have been doing the last
couple of days. Governor Foss's Of
fense, as they see it, is that, though
he is a Democratic Governor of Mas
sachusetts, he is pulling up his in
dustrial stakes and hitting the trail
for Canada.
The Democrats in Congress making
the new Tariff law .and the Demo-
cratic newspapers applauding that
work are acting toward Governor
Foss as a crew on the high seas
might act toward one of its members
down in the hold scuttling the ship,
or as the police in Washington might
act toward an anarchist trying to
explode dynamite in the cellar of the
White House.
Now in the case of Mr.. Foss there
Is big difference. It's true that he
Is very prominent Democrat. It's
true that by the votes ofDemocrats
he is the Governor of Massachusetts,.
But he is a manufacturer as well.
That's his regular business. Officially
and publicly he is bound to stand by
hisp arty, but privately and indus
trially he is also bound to preserve
! from ruin, in SO far as he can, the
manufacturing property in his charge,
and to save for the stockholders of
that property some of the value of
their investment.
Very likely Foss--his party being
pledged to Free-Trade- getting
that party-if he were able-to make
a special bit of high Protective Tar
if for the benefit of his particular
industry. That wouldn't be fair and
it wouldn't be decent.
But it's perfectly fair, and it's
plain horse sense, for FOss-the
manufacturer-if he knows his party
new Tariff is going to blow his bust
ness sky high-to pick it up and scoot
across to Canada with it or to any
other country where he could save
it from the smash he sees coming to
1t in this country.
Naturally, when FOss-the manu-
" facturer-moves his American facto-
ries across the Canadian line the
American wage earners now employed
in them and other Americans indi-
rectly dependent upon the operation
of those factories are going to be out
of their jobs and are going to be
; without their present means of sup
porting themselves. But he can very
aptly answer to that indictment that
if the new Tariff is going to put his
factories out of business those wage
earners and others would suffeE the
same thing anyhow. In either case
they're gone.
Governor Foss evidently thinks
that the several hundred millions oi
American capital already invested in
mills and factories over in Canada
behind it's protective wall will bt
very largely multiplied after our new
Tariff goes into operation. Evidently
he thinks that If the American Tariff
is no longer to give the American
market to American industries like
his then there are two advantages
to be gained by his going behind the
Tariff wall in Canada.
The first is that putting his MILL
and factories behind that Canadian
wall will give him at least part Ol
the Canadian market asagainst all Al
erican industries trying to compet
with him over there.
And then, perhaps, If he can pro
duce more cheaply in Canada, witt
lower wage scale and smaller cost
in other ways. at the same time tn,
new American Tariff making it easi
er for the foreign producer to com
C into the American market, he cal
d buy materials in Canada, pay wage
q In Canada, produce in Canada, sell Il
= Canada and then-by reason of hi
r economic advantages there and b,
}. reason of our Tariff barriers comm,
r down-ship across the American lin
S and sell here, too!
e Thus, in the vernacular, he can pla,
O both ends against the middle. He cal
: save his mills and factories trans
8 planted to Canada. He can get |
/ market there. no longer having h
pay the Canadian Tariff. He can in
wade the United States-the new Tar
iff making this easy--and perhap
really increase his business an,
profits. though at the cost Of tn
II American wage-earners formerly EN-
v ployed in his mills and factories an
4 of still other American wage earmer
: whom he may throw out of worl
4 when he invades the American mark
ct with his Canadian product an
shuts up American mills and factO