The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-09-26

to forecast. No one doubts that the i'm
mediate effect of the new tariff upon i'm
portations viii be greatly to increase
them. 1t is a fact that the momentous
Increase In our expectations of MANU-
faetured products has been made while
the Dingley and the Payne Aldrich tariff
were upon the statute books. Those who
have given some heed to these statistics
are inclined tc think that the protective
tariff did not especially affect one
way or the other the building up
of great markets abroad form Amer
lean manufactured products. These mar
kets have been gained in considerable
measure by highly scientific and sys-
tematic organizations whose purpose has
been the increasing of our foreign trade
in manufactured commodities. We have
better statesmen now than was the case
before these highly organized foreign sell
ing institutions were established
OF course. it is apparent that the largest
and most efficiently organized foreign
sales departments were made possible by
the fact that the corporations which es-
tablished them had very large capital, as
fer instance. the United States Steel cor
poration, the Harvester company and the
Standard Oil That is also true to a
lesser extent of the American corpora
chinery and tools. The great electric
companies maintain large and elaborate
but perfectly systematized foreign sell
ing departments because these companies
have abundant capital. They are there
fore able to accept orders for the manu-
facture and speedy delivery of their COM
modities no matter how large the amount
may be-
The chances are that the new tariff will
only in a remote way at all affect our
market for American manufactured caa-
modities. What in all probability would
seriously impair our ability to maintain
and increase these markets would be the
kind of legislation agitated by some who
are what is called of radical disposition
Fort Jay and Governors Island
1t is evident from some remarks made
recently in the United States Senate that
some members of that body have been
misinformed about the recent memorial
sent to Senator James A. O'Gorman
Senators appears to fear that the request
that troops be maintained upon Cover
nors Island and Fort Jay and the army
post continued there was made by Wall
street brokers and bankers for the selfish
purpose of protecting by the military
arm of the government money and prop
erty in the Wall street district
The senators are mistaken in this view.
Governors Island and Fort Jay, which
stands upon 1t, are of national rather
than of local Importance. There are few
persons in the United States who nave
not heard of Governors Island 1t has
been occupied for military purposes since
the time that the Dutch were the rulers
of Manhattan.
About a year ago there came intima-
tions from Washington that 1T might be
a good plan for the government to sell
Governors Island it being estimated that
many million dollars would he received
for it. To sell the island would mean
the abandonment of it by the govern
ment.
AT the annual dinner of the Order of the
Cincinnati last winter, Major Charles
Elliot Warren, who is of influence both in
military and financial circles, called the
attention of the members of that order
to the fact that a movement was under
way for the abandonment of Governor s
Island as a military post Major Warren
therefore urged the military gentlemen
who were present to begin such action as
would make II clear to the ,vernmcnt
that the abandonment of the island would
be a mistake.
1t was discovered on examination OF the
records that the fee of the island Is in
the state of New York and that by the
terms of the contract between The state
Island is ever abandoned as military
post the property would revert to New
York state. All Of the officers Of the
National Guard in the state of New York
agreed that it would be mistake for the
government to abandon the post. In this
| view the Chamber of Commerce, the Ner-
chants association of New York, the Mil
| itary Society of the War of 1912, the Sons
of the Revolution and other organiza-
| tons agreed. Furthermore, the fact that
| the United States sub-treasury is located
| within gunshot of Governors Island and
| also the custom house and the assay Of
| flee suggested the propriety of maintain
| ing Governor's Island as a post. The
memorial sent to Senator O'Gorman was
signed by many representative citizens.
| among them a few Wall street bankers.
| The proposition, however, did not origi-
| nate in Wall street, but solely with the
military forces of New York. and as to
| this movement for the maintenance of 4
government post here many of the Off
GERS of the United States army are in
> perfect agreement.