New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1914-12-27
MANUFACTURERS in
ARMS AT TARIFF
Unusual Public Calamity
Blamed on Law in
Letter to Wilson.
From The 1rioune Bureau

Washington, Dec. 26.-The Manu-
facturers' Association of Montgomery
County, Penn, the membership o.
which includes representatives of the
steel and iron trade, textile MANI.
facturers and numerous other indus
tries, has conveyed second protest
against the Underwood Simmons tariff
law to President Wilson. The associa-
ton created a stir last summer by
sending a round robin to the President
urging the repeal OF the present tarih
law. The second protest is equally in
sistent for the repeal of that law. The
letter says in part:
ave now address 10 you this SECOND
letter for the one specific purpose o.
informing you that the good times SO
happily predicted at Washington have
not arrived. On the contrary, the fore
casts made to you in our first letter
have materialized TO the extent OF
being an unusual public calamity.
ave are aware that the language OF
this letter is strong and direct. For
this we have no apology. We mean
that il shall be so. Situations like the
one before us demand heroic treat
ment, and heroic treatment cannot be
applied through the weakness OF CIR
cumlocution.
ave say TO you again that we write
you in this way because the tarih la"
of the Democratic party now IN power
has brought this country face to face
with business calamity. We are NOT
without the facts to prove what we
say. Here is one fact We take It
from a Philadelphia newspaper OF De
cember ~:
"From the pulpits of every church
in Philadelphia will go forth the aP
peal of the poor TO the rich, the cali
of humanity to humanity. Thousands
of men in this city cannot obtain en-
ployment. Their wives sit hopelessly
in cold, dismal, little rooms and their
children face starvation"
The Schuylkill Valley manufactGr-
ers take little stock in the Democratic
excuse offered during the recent Con
gressional campaign that responsi-
bility for depressed business condi-
tions should be attributed TO the Eu-
lopean war.
at will not meet the situation" con-
tinues the protest, ito answer W by
saving that the war has interfered
with importations, and, therefore. We
do not suffer from foreign competition.
In the first place. importations have
not ceased. That fallacy might as well
be exploded here as TO be reserved for
further discussion. Destructive i'm
portations have not ceased.
"In the second place, the war has
placed some business at our disposal
and TO this extent has helped us, but.
despite this fact, SO great has been
the blow against our industries by the
present tariff law that even with the
help of such war orders as have
reached us our industries asa whole
lie crippled or idle"
Again is urged repeal of the Under
wood Simmons law, just as in the let
ter addressed to the President last
July. The association says:
"We have no desire 10 lay before
you disastrous conditions for which
there is no remedy, and thus TO mere
~ annoy you. We lay these conditions
before you for the very good and solid
reason that you can correct them. We
dare believe that in the presence OF
the want and hunger that now stalk
abroad in this land patriotism demands
a remedy, even though the cost Of that
remedy may involve such humiliation
as goes with a confession of expert
mental failures.
"What il this shall be the price 10
be paid for the prosperity of the ma
ton? Shall the servants of the people
hesitate to pay il? Indeed, your petit
TONERS hold that in paying that price
the altar of such sacrifice will glow
with true patriotism and fash with
great statesmanship."