Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1915-02-08
GERMANY AND PROTECTIVE
TARIFF TOPIC OF HIS LETTER

new countries win be discovered: the
world has been circumnayigated. and
We can no longer find abroad new
purchasers Of importance to whom
we can send our goods
I'm questions such as these I view
scientific theories with the same
doubt with which / regard the thee.
fies applied to other organic forma-
tons. Medical science as eontrasted
with anatomy, has made little prog.
ress with regard TO those parts which
the eye cannot reach, and today the
riddle 81 organic changes In the hui
man body 8 as great as Il was for
merly. With regard to the organism
OF the state, It is the same thing. The
dicta of abstract scienSe do not influ-
ence me in the slightest. base my
opinion on the practical experience OF
the time In which We are living.
see that those countries which pos
sess protection are prospecting, and
that those countries which possess
free trade are decaying. Mighty Eng
land. that powerful athlete, stepped
out into the omen market after she
had strengthened her sinews and
said, Who WIN fight me? ! am pre-
pared to meet everybody. But Eng
land herself is slowly returning to
protection, and in some years she win
take II up in order, to save for herself
at least the home market
II believe the whole theory of free
trade to be wrong. England
has abolished protection after she had
benefited by it to the fullest extent.
That country used to have the strong
est protective tariffs until Ii had be-
cpme 50 powerful under their protee-
ton that lit scduld step out OF those
barriers Hike gigantic athlete and
challenge the world. Free trade Is
the weapon OF the strongest nation,
and England mas become the strong
est nation owing to her capital. her
iron. her coal and her harbors. and
owing to her favorable geographical
position. Nevertheless she protected
herself against foreign competition
with exorbttant protective tariffs un-
III her industries have become so
Be It said, however, Bismarck was
always moderate protectionist. He
was opposed to high protection. The
German protective system. as 1t is to-.
day, Is not so high as under the UH-
derBood bin on competitive goods.
which is about ~ per cent. In 1860,
ct the beginning OF our Civil war.
there was large list of imports on,
the free list. The average dutiable3
goods were about IS per cent At the
beginning Of the war the Morrill, bill
passed increasing duties much higher
rs war measure, but with the
Understanding when the war was
over the duties were to be lowered.
But the fact Is that after the war
hey were increased The accumula-
ton In the treasury became enormous
md CONGRESS- would not lower the
duties. IT has been said BY David A.
Wells that any manufacturer ennld 60
into Congress and let any duty he
wished passed 70 aid his particular
Industry It was deemed unpatfiotfc
for any one in Congress to oppose al.
most any unreasonable duty. The
party In power promised the people
year after year to revise the tariff
It was not done. The
Democratic party came into power.
The pendulum swung in many re-
spects too far the other way. Such
things always hapn6n. In the main.
/ agree with the Underwood bill, but
here are important exceptions. fhe