Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-01-04
REDF|ELD ANSWERS
CALAMITY HOW[ERS
Department of Commerce
Head Outlines Prosperity in
Store for Country.
GIVES FIGURES TO PROVE
EVIL REPORTS UNFOUNDED
Cites Decrease Under New Tariff of
1mports-No Overproduction
Threatened, He Says.

throwing bomb into the camp of the
calamity howlers and pointing the finger
of scorn AT those who declare the coun-
try is not prosperous Secretary Red
field OF the Department of Commerce
last night issued a statement in which
he outlined the prosperity that is in
sto@e for the country. He calls atten-
ton to the fact thai even foreign papers
are declaring that business depression is
prevalent throughout the world. and not
alone in the United States
I. After referring to specitie instances
where better conditions are shown. the
Secretary says: 1T would be easy to
Americans have not lost their grip, nor
are they afraid of dragons that do
not exist. They hear the tariff howl
ers with smile. wondering if the Under
wood tariff is responsible also for the
siackening of trade in Germany. and
whether the change in our customs duties
is the cause Of the industrial relapse in
Great Britain"
The sta tement is fun Of statistics seem
ing to bear out the fact that the coun-
try is entering upon new era of pros
Del'tty. Numerous quotations from for
eign papers are given to indicate that
the United States.
Disaster Predictions Deprecated.
Referring to the industries. Secretary
Redfeld says that one is met with sad
tales of evil. paraded for purely political
purposes before the public eye" But
now, he continues, tie scare Interviews
and even the pro;ectionis.s ar inclined
6
disaster. ruin and panic that have been
in circulation. There has been. he
continued, "a rather sorry spectacle of
representatives in Congress emphasizing
the difficulties to be encountered BY the
business world and otherwise aiding the
feeling of depression. willing to he pro
motors of disaster if partisan profit can
be made thereby.
1T is both important and difficult, he
continues, TO put into brief compass q
well balanced statement concerning pres
ent commercial and industrial conditions
1t is important because many statements
are current that are ignorant or partial
or which. for partisan purposes. eNag-
gerate some features of the sitHa ton
while ignoring others. Yet in discussing
subject of so much Importance to us
all. sobriety of thought is imperative. 1t
Is equally necessary TO he nri,f. that
busy people may read what is written.
To cover. however, SO vast field and to
90 IL WIFI DreNltE Is not easy.
Cry of "Wolf'' Disregarded.
'One does not need to be worried by
the Cry of wolf. for the cry has been
made before and the wolf did not come.
Nor is the present situation anything like
as sad as these prophets Of evil would.
for their own purposes, seem to wish it
to be. We do not have to look back far
to hear predictions that with the coming
Of the new tariff there would also come
what was described as the flooding of
our markets with the cheap wares Of
Europe. Indeed, we were quite specific
ally told that many millions in value of
foreign goods We're waiting in our Gus
tom houses to be unloaded upon our
patient public as soon as the new
tariff took effect. But the tariff has now
been in effect nearly three months and
neither the flooding nor the unloading
has happened
ION the contrary. the imports for
October and November are less than for
the corresponding months a year ago.
The competition of the pauper labor
of Europe which was to overwhelm us is
not here. The preachers of disaster saw
visions and dreamed dreams But ex-
perience thus far has shown no evil more
tangible than the ghosts of the prophet s
imagination. On the other hand. never
was the competing power of American
manufacturers III fOFelSn markets more
clearly visible than now, for side by
side with the diminished or stationary i'm
ports has gone on am increase in the ex-
ports.
There is nothing to scare anybody in
the fact that we are selling more of the
products of our labor abroad and are
buying little or no more Of the products
of foreign labor from abroad.
Steel Importations Less.
Let us look for moment at the Hi
portant item of iron and steel in onr for
eign trade. In the eleven months, In
Guiding November, we imported not quite
S31, OG0,O in value and we exported al