The Taney County republican. (Forsyth, Mo.) 1895-1992, 1914-11-26
Protection by Force Of War

ating toward an improvement in trade
and commerce are conditions which
have worked temporary suspension
Of the Underwood Simmons tariff law
The change in conditions could be
foreseen as approaching from the be-
ginning Of the war in Europe, COL
tingent only upon the war proving tc
be one OF considerable duration The
first effect OF the war, in reducing
both imports and exports, was felt in
nearly all lines OF business, but BY
looking beyond the immediate paral
ysis it was possible to see the earlG
coming Of the time when, should the
war continue, the excess OF exports
over imports, with two Of the largest
warring nations, Germany and Austria,
among the heaviest exporters OF goods
to this country, and unable 10 get
their wares into this market, and
France and England unable to main.
tain their ourput, the balance Of trade
in our favor must grow rapidly and
steadily. It was to be seen, also,
that owing to the falling of in many
lines Of European merchandise which
had, for some months before the war
commenced, been pouring into olr
markets in steadily increasing quan
tity, manufacturers in the United States
could, in many lines, increase the
volume Of their product, employ more
labor, buy more supplies, and release
more cash in a great many ways.
Accordingly, early in the present
month, after it coIld be seen that,
both along the eastern and western
lines Of battle in Europe, the con
tending lorces.had come to that dead
lock grapple ioreteling long war the
Globe Democrat went on record with
the prediction that the return Of better
times could not be much longer post.
poned. We could notv enture such
a prediction, however, until the result
Of the elections on the Sd Instant had
given assurance that the heckling Of
business by Congress, acting under
executive orders, would no. be con-
tinued. On the second or third day
after the election we ventured 10 say
that the corner had been turned and
better times were in sight.
That thought was prediacted upon
the fact that even with the country
working under tarif law which had
for months before the beginning Of
war, reduced customs receipts while
increasing imports such a war as that
in Europe must raise and force con-
ditions putting US practically back on
a protective tariff basis, Secretary
Redfeld really admits this r-mark4bl,
situation in more than one place
in his latest contribution to the htera-
ture OF the sbject. When he says:
The payment Of our foreign obliga-
tions is no longer cause for serious
worry, since an import excess Of $40,
100000 in August has been changed
to an export excess Of approximately
s60,000,000 in October" he clinches
the fact that, while the balance oil
trade was growing against US under
the Underwood tariff law, working
under normal conditions in Europe,
the rise Of abnormal conditions on
that Continent has suspended the
the operation Of the Underwood Law
and is now turning a declining bal
ance OF trade into favorable one.
Nothing else than some abnormal con
dition in Europe could have wrought
such change iu such bad situation
as the monthly treasury reports from
1918, when the Underwood law be
came operative, up 10 and including
August, 1914, most clearly proved.
1t is impossible to avoid the concus-
that, but for the rising Of these I'm
loreseen conditions abroad, uniavor.
able trade balances would not only have
continued bur would have grown.
The comparative prosperity now in
sight can be attributed to nothieg else
than that the country is now back un-
der protective tariff, in effect, al
though the Underwood tariff law is
still operative in fact. Imports which
had been increasing, are now de-
creasing, and exports, which has been
decreasing, are now increasing, not
because oil our present tariff law, bu,
in spite Of it. Present conditions,
with exports exceeding imports, was