Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1914-08-03
MONDAY EVENING, AUGUST 3
EFFECTS OF THE WAR HERE

where in the civilized world
without baneful consequences to
all nations. While the United
States is outside the immediate sphere
of trouble in Europe, the results of the
frightful tragedy now being enacted
by the Powers of the old world are
being felt in this country.
Already the export trade has been
stopped by the embargo on ships, and
cargoes are pifing UP at every Amer
lean port. Prohibitive insurance rates
are preventing shipment by the few
lines still running, and enormous guam
titles of freight are being halted in
transit. Even the foodstuffs that will
be needed by the fighting armies
abroad cannot be shipped from this
country owing to the lack of ships.
Grain is the one article of trade most
likely to be seized as c~ontraband of
war. Our inability under present con-
ditions to ship the food SO greatly
needed nay breed famine for the ar
mics of the continent.
orders for goods from the factories
and workshops of the United States
have already been cancelled owing to
the European wal and the immediate
effect in the United States will be a
depletion of customs revenue. This
will mean a tremendous reduction of
the income necessary for the opera
ton of our w government and, com
ing upon the heels of the low Demo-
cratic tariff, the situation is so serious
as to cause grave apprehension in Of
fetal quarters. We may expect special
taxes to make up the loss in revenue,
and while there may he a temporary
boom in business as a result of the for
!eign demand for our goods, the after
effects must be most serious in view
of the reduction of buying power in
the European countries.
In the six months of low tariff for
eign manufacturers in only seventeen
lines were enabled to increase their
business in the United States by sea-
100000. This statement is made by
G. H. Brown, chairman of the Hosiery
Manufacturers legislative committee
at Washington.
The staement was made in answer
to a recent speech by Senator Sim
mons, who defended the Underwood
tariff law, by saying that the largest
part of the increase in imports since
the law became operative had been in
food products, and that the increase in
imports of manufactured goods had
been Comparatively light"
Chairman Browns committee makes
a comparison of the imports of seven
teen products for the six months from
December 1, 1913, to May 81, 1914, in
contrast with the corresponding period
of the previous year.
1t was bad enough that the Demo-
cratic tariff has thrown thousands of
ness, but 1t is infinitely worse that on
top of this comes the necessity for
special taxation to meet the needs of
the government.
President Wilson is hopeful that
the demand for American wheat, oats
and corn and other products will make
up the losses caused by the failure of
the tariff law to produce sufficient
revenue. Predictions are being made
in Administration circles that If there
is a general European war every fac
tory in this country would be busy
within a month turning out clothing
and other supplies for Europe.
"~Sustenance for the enemy is con-
traband of war;" says the Philadelphia
Ledger. "a blockade of European
ports, 'paralleling in effectiveness that
maintained in the Napoleonic era by
the British fleet and the French Orders
in Council, would practically close the
European market to all our products.
Cotton, on which we depend for hun
dreds of millions of dollars annually
from abroad, owing to the closing of
foreign factories as we'll as ports.
would have to be consumed mainly at
home, which would mean a low mar
ket and tremendous losses.
Our foreign commerce, amounting
to about $4,000, 900, 900 annually, is
mainly with Europe. To counterfeit
the enormous losses, we should be
compelled to reach into markets which
we have heretofore only partly de-
iveloped. The withdrawal of our chief
competitors from the trade, in the
event of a moderately long war. should
enable us to offset by heavy gains in
Latin-America and the Orient the