Devils Lake inter-ocean. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1909-1915, 1913-10-10
THE NEW EPoctl.s

-. ~ 4t0 NV. IdiIA UHI DElnSS a new
sapochsao the lied States. Whether
II. VIII be coed or bad remains to be
sproHed. The following comment fron1Sii
the st: Louis Times sizes UP che Stu.
as5on III very common sense manner amer
!: s Today sees the of = rev:
aoIutlo Commercial expemment< i'm
|. the On United: States, The principle: Of
4 q ection Ter American. dntarestss has:
!, been abandoned. and the principle; Of
competition -. competition between,
American labor and foreign labor;
American, skill and industry and for.
feign skill and industry has been in
saugurated.
,.~. 1t has long been claimed that the
tariff should not be considered a po-
1itical issue. This is scarcely de-
feasible position. Properly considered,
politics means policies; and the tariff
is clearly policy which agects a great
ter number of people than any other
one policy that can be named. 1t
touches policy which has a direct eff
feet upon the cost of the common
commodities (as we'll as other commo-
dities) which are to be found in every
home in America. It also, in another
of it's aspects, touches the matter of
American wages; and the only answer
to the claim that a. lower tariff would
make the prices of those commodities
lower has been that it would also
make the price of labor lower. That,
III effect, the one influence would
counterbalance the other. And though
there may be no sound economic war.
amt for the belief, it is fixed fact in
Ut. American outlook that we like to
t.. aaRe lot of money, even Il we have
"a. spend it, and that we do not wish
adopt the policy of certain other
y ations,f where men live on very little
ser day-and make very little.
TN the sense that the tariff is po-
1itical policy which the mass of voters
can comprehend there is another word
to be spoken. It is not such policy
In this regard, it is science, to be
understood only by men whose minds
- have been trained to see far through
. maze of conditions; who know how
to gauge the ancient warfare between
theories and conditions. Yet most po-
Eticai policies may be referred to il
the same terms. There is always nee,
~ of experts; and this fact is contem
plated in the scheme of representa-
tive government. Our representative:
are something more than representa-
lives; but>clearly they should repre-
~; sent something higher than the aver
age equipment the average capacity t.
comprehend. In theory, at least the,
~: have the time and the ability TO maz
ter problems which their constituent
s#! have not the time, and perhaps no
| Che ability to deal with.
gf The completely of the tariff situa
ton is such that the authorities O.
either side of the controversy touchin
it never could have got together5'5&T
the end Of the chapter there must hav
been tnoughsfuI men to contend thu
the protected interest, grown poWe
ful beyond the need of protection
never would have passed on benefit
received to The toiiers; that protectio
NJ vas, in fact, class legislation.
AS. against thiF. theory there is til
fact that American labor is prosperou
in quite the degree in which the cor
nercial organizations of the countI
are prosperous. In brief, for ever
argument on the one side, there is a
argument Of equal potency and plan
ibility on the other.
Underlying all the other facts AZ
arguments. however. is the comma
s knowledge that prices have been soa
ing in amazing fashion in Americ;
the prices OF commodities, and OF !
bor az we'll The disad Yantages Of th
tendency are often manifest. Wheth
new system. angurated BY a rev
ti0naTy process, will not have gray
sadYantages time only can tell.
the meant Time, 1T is the part
isdon1 no face the Inevitable and
ssk The utmost thoro ughness Id !