The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1914-03-10
Tariff Revision Work of Admin
istration Highly Commended
BY LaWndaIe Man
STEP IN RIGHT DIRECTION
Maj John F. Schenck Gives
Cotton Publication His Views
as To What Ends an Ideal
Tariff Should Be Designed To
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Sud-
den and Radical Changes

The February issue of Cotton a.
publication largely taken by cotton
manufacturer and cotton men gen
orally, contains an interview with Ma
Jor John +. Schenck, Of Lawndale,
treasurer of the Cleveland Mill and
Power Company of that place, i'll
which the work Of the present admin
istration and Congress in effecting Ia
riff revision is warmly praised by Ma
Jor Schenck. The recent revision OF
the tariff" said Major Schenck, has
been made so cautiously and conSer-
yatiyely. and came at a time when
business conditions Were so favorable
and healthy that practically no i'll
consequences have followed.
L my mind" he continued, eth
country hould feel gratified over this
clever piece of work of the present
administration. The gradual reduc-
ton Of Il high protective tariff toward
"a purely revenue basis is a step in the
right direction.
\ the risk of being considered ecs
centric and Impractical, l do not min
saying that / am Conscientiously of
the opinion that an ideal tariff should
be designed only for raising revenue,
and, furthermore, shoul he non-dis-
Criminatory.
Il am a manufacturer, a firm cham
pion of the manufacturers rights, and
Interested in his legitimate success:
but ] do not approve of the principle
of imposing high or discriminatory
duties for the main purpose of shield
ing him from competition. l Concede
that after many large and important
industries and the business of the
whole country have been built upon
the artificial and unstable basis of a
protective tariff, it would be ruincus
and foolish to make u very sudden
and radical move TOWARD the ideal
condition. Nor is it right to make
reductions that clearly show bias III
favor Of any class or section.
Radical Reduction Opposed.
adjustments should be made grad
Oally and fairly in order TO avoid dis
astrous results and a reaction tc
greater extremes II a we are properly
trying TO get away from. I am not
Inconsistent in this expression of con
servatism. There is no more incon,
sistency in condemning the principle
of tariff for protection, while opposing
a radical reduction, than there is il
the advocacy OF total abstinence while
refusing to suddenly deprive an un
fortunate dope victim of the Stimu
liant which has become the artificial
foundation of his vitality.
Nor * il Inconsistent for an advo
cate Of tariff reduction to adhere t,
the doctrine of equal rights for all
and insist upon retaining for himse1
and his people about the same meas
ure Of protection as that retained il
favor of others under the same gov
IN
THE point I wish to emphasize i
this: The sooner this country Ca
safely enact and adjust itself to a non
discriminatory tariff law for revenu
only the better for it.
we are asked, Where would gu
manufacturing industry be if it ha
not been protected during the brie
but rapid development of our coun
try 1T is asserted that foreign com
petition would have strangled all Q
u industries in their infancy. 81
this * simply conjecture. If we ha
never had a protective tariff, it is nc
- impossible that we might now be SUP
plying with manufactured goods tn
greater part of America and also CON
peting with the world in the grea
markets abroad.
without governmental favorS, su
industrial development might NJ
have been SO rapid. out it would hay
been sounder and broader and bette
able to cope with the world. as
must eventually do. No industry ne
people can attain the best develoI
ment or lay the strongest foundatio
for long life without training again
all contestants in the worlds gre;
arena.
IF it ever appears to be necessal
for a government TO foster an indu
try against disastrous and designir
foreign competition, the governmel
should W and control that indu
try.
eff the main purpose of maintain
ing a government Is the promote
Of the highest degree of satisfactiC
and ontentment among it's peopl
then there is a much more importa
phase to the tariff question than Il
oure1v commercial phSSe usually hi