American Falls press. [volume] (American Falls, Idaho) 1907-1937, 1915-10-21
BARBER & JONES', Publishers
MORE THAN ONE KIND OF PREPAREDNESS.

While advocating military preparedness, Cne upDullu-
ing of the army and navy, Senator Borah in an address
at Boston last week, before a large audience declared that
"t is even more essential that we prepare for peace than
that we prepare for war" Anticipating a tremendous
flood of cheap products from Europe following the resto-
ration of peace abroad, Senator Borah declared in favor
of an immediate revision of the tariff upward, in order
to protect American industry against the threatened flood
from Europe In the course OF his address Senator Borah
gave expression to his views as follows:
1--WE may not with safety ignore the situation as it will
confront us at the close of the war. The standard of liv-
ing in Europe will be reduced to the lowest possible level.
Our workingmen will come in deadly competition with the
laborers of Europe working at the lowest level Of living
and at the lowest standard of wage and yet driven as
never before to help Europe win back her markets and
her trade. To ignore such a condition of affairs, wholly
probable to happen, is to leave the workingmen OF this
country exposed to a situation only less cruel than war,
is to leave millions OF them without work ana on tne rag
gcd edge of hunger.
Europe, when she energies from this war, will be indus
trially at least, a new Europe. If nothing else happens
that will happen. Just as the organization of great ar
mics, the disciplining, feeding and clothing of them dur
ing the civil war taught us the value OF unity on a vast
scale, taught us the value of organization and cooperation,
and just as this spirit of unity. and organization, the con
ceptions of vastness was transferred by us from the fields
of war to the peaceful fields of industry, so Will 1t be,
only on a more tremendous scale, in Europe. Our vast
railroad enterprises, our great industrial combinations,
our gigantic business organizations were Cne raCiohal anu
legitimate result.
Germany, even before the war. was the most thorough
ly organized and disciplined industrial nation in the world
her history since 1870 has been a marvel-efficient, self
contained, self-helping, masterful. She will be even more
thoroughly organized after the war. England and France
have also learned in the cruel school of war the lesson OF
unity in industrial life, learned how to mobilize and dis
cipline the capacity and energy of their people. The per-
iod following the Austrian wharf.-the Franco Prussian wal
Our own civil war-advised us how quickly a peeolpe
transfer the energy and capacity for organization IRON
the battle field to the factory.
"At the present time the war protects us from COMPETE
ton with the old countries. The farmer has not only oui
home market but in part the foreign market. After the
war he will have to fight for his home market. The Ameri
can manufacturer is in no less advantageous position now
Europe no longer completes with us as she did before anC
as she will under present laws after the war. We are
feeding. clothing, arming and financing vast armies with
out much competition. 1t is not altogether an eviable job
not one of which to boast, but | am stating facts. But
when Europe, combined Europe, shall send her men anG
her women back to the farm and the factory, to the work
shop and the mine, drilled, disciplined, even buoyant fol-
industrial war, then the question will be put up to us tc
answer, are we prepared to meet them on the peaceful
fields Of industry?
There will be no neutrality there. You had just as
well talk of defending our great sea coast cities against
the trained armies and navies of combined Europe with
our present army and navy as to try to protect against
such an assault-and into that fight will enter along with
Europe the South American countries and Canada and
Japan-the American laborer, the American farmer and
the American manufacturer with our present laws and
fiscal policy, or even with the formidable submarine which
is supposed to be concealed under the underlined, unlimited
and unknown powers of the federal trade commission.
Readjust the Tariff.
ave ouoht To set about to readjust our tariff laws and
without delay. W. ought to prepare to mobilize our re-
so,,recs and our people industrially. We ought to have a
tariff law which would at least collect revenue from tnose
gigantic industrial combinations such as the sugar trust
which enjoys our market free; a law and a policy which
would evoke confidence, diversity our industries and
develop the varied talents of our people. If we expect
war shall we not be prepared to feed and clothe and equip
our people from within? Germany could not nave KEEP
her soldiers in the field six months, shut off as she was
from the outside world, had she not long ago adopted
nol;cv which gave her home market to her producers and
developed and diversified the genius OF her people IN every
line Of labor, production and manufacture, until she stood
;nSustrially equipped for all Corners Do not overlook,
IN stmdying the Preparedness of Germany, the words OF
Bismarck and the fiscal policy which Followed IN IoaS
than her military preparedness. And even if we do not