The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-09-16
THE SMOOT VAIL.

We sec that Apostle Smoot has not
yet got over his mulligrubs with re.
spcct TO the Democratic partisan tariff
bill, and he is opposing If on the same
old ground that tho passage Of the
Wilson tariff bill was opposed eighteen
years ago and making the same Ia.
ments that were made then. on lis
passage. But, as every one knows. the
conditions arc so different now from
the conditions then that no proper
comparison can be drawn
WEer Cleveland was elected in 1892
things went 10 smash aires. ut once
and as soon as the country found that
President Cleveland was determined to
smash the silver purchase law. and to
put through tariff bill that was sub
stantiallY frcc-tradc measure. every
body was caught unaware and the con.
ditions were ripe for panic. The
panic ensued, and filled the country
with "industrisl armies, so called,
which passed from one part of tho
country to another like swarms Of
grasshoppcrs, devouring as they went.
No such condition exists now. nor has
il existed since the election OF Prosi-
dent Wilson. There was no such pessi-
mism in business and industrial circles
upon the election OF President Wilson
as there was upon the election Of
President Cleveland, with his rcpudia-
tion of the silver plank in the platform
upon which he was elected, and his de.
termination to put this country in its
unprepared state in direct competition
with the manufactures Of Great Brit.
ain Germany, and France.
What Apostle Smoot fails TO take
note of is that the United States in
the eighteen years that have passed
since then, has had such development
of manufacturing industries that in
many lines we excel the world. and ask
no odds Of any country or of any work
men. Specifically. after il was an
nouuced from Washington a fortnight
or so ago that the tariff was TO be
taken OF from sugar, the Republican
Senators agreed that taking the tariff
| off of sugar would not reduce the price
to the consumer. This being true. as
we believe it to be, it is impossible
for Us TO see the destruction of this
industry that Apostle Smoot seems TO
consider so imminent There will be
three years to work up to the taking
of of the tariff on sugar Tn that
three years il there is any acuteness
in the sugar situation, the people of
the United States can, and doubtless
will, elect a Congress that will modify
the tariff on sugar in such a way as
to preserve the sugar industries. But
in the meantime the sugar business is
so thoroughly organized in combina.
tions and trusts that il is impossible
to imagine any great change III the
price Of sugar to the consumers in the
United States. But if there is not TO
be such a change in the price the sugar
trusts can keep right along selling at
the same old rate and pay the same old
prices for sugar beets
We are sorry 10 see that Apostle
Smoot does not get mp TO date in his
tari0 discussions. His mind appears
to be so thoroughly saturated with tho
sadness Of the troubles which eusucd
upon the election OF President Clcve-
land in 1892. that not a ray of sunshine
can permeate the gloom. Our advice
TO him is to brace up, and see if ne
cannot note a ray or two Of light ut the
present time, as compared with the
gloom which settled upon the country
and appears TO have dwelt within the
Smoot mind ever since the Cleveland
disasters fell upon us with such crush
ing force. The truth is that the tariff
bill has been pretty well discounted,
and while it is bad bill enough, it
is sure that it is designed to cast
scarcely shadow compared with the
! conditions which prevailed and which
Travelled the downward path along
with the industries Of the country upon
the passage of the Wilson tariff bill
o. iS0