Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1915-11-25

AZ to chemicals, the consumer who Is
paying Sc much as 500 per cent more /
for many OF his drugs as q result OF /
the curtailing OF German imports will /
be reioicsd at resumption Of this
trade with Germany.
The Nation. however. does not ap-
prehend a general flooding of our
markets by European competitors. It
says:
aside from these exceptional IN
stances. however, L seems to US that
an unnecessary amount Of horrible in-
agining is being done on this subject.
Il is we'll to stop and cody ask what is
likely to be the effect Of the war upon
manufactures and the export trade OF
cur chief European competitors. When
peace is made, viii they quickly be IN
position TO set all their tall Chin
neyE smoking, their machines whir-
ring, and at once raise all their indus
tries TO the highest pitch Of efficiency?
It must be doubted. The immense dis
locations caused by the war cannot be
repaired In a day. To shift factories
back from the making Of shells and
explosives to the manufacture OF mo-
tors and agricultural chemicals, will
require time Then there will be the
whole question Of supply Of labor. With
/ hundreds Of thousands OF skilled artis-
/ ans lying in their graves, or disabled
/ for life, this will be serious matter
for employers. Their first thoughts
will be of restoring their equipment
and working slowly back 10 their for
mer level of production instead Of out
stripping Immediately the home con-
sumption and rushing their goods
abroad.
Suppose all these difficulties sur
mounted, and the productive capacity
Of England and France and Germany
put back to what 1t was before the
war, it still would be under a new and
lseyere handicap. The point is raised
by a letter. It relates to the enormous
load of debt under which the warAsmit-
ten countries will have to stagger for
the next few years. What will this
mean az affecting the competing abil-
ity Of manufacturers and exporters in
those lands? 1t is plain, for one thing,
that new and onerous taxes will have
to be laid. For England it has been
estimated that, If the war went on q
year and half more, the charges for
interest on the new debt piled up
would be nearly as large as the entire
peace budget. A similar calculation
for Germany has been bitterly made by
Vorwaarts, speaking for the social-dem-
ocratic party. There may well be some
Iexaggeration in these forecasts. Ger
tain adjustments Of debt may be made
to ease off somewhat the immediate
strain. But it will be very great, IN
Iany case. If taxation was high before
and it was much higher in all the
r countries named than in the United
Z States-it will be pushed up severa
notches higher. And it's general effec
must certainly be to raise the cost O.
production. The new taxes will be diff
fused through all classes of society
( They will impel the capitalist TO ash
! higher interest, the wOrkingman to de
! mand higher wages. Prices will tend tt
! be marked up in order that, out of tn
resultant profits, the higher taxes ma
t be paid. Let no one imagine that tht
. wcrkTen in any Of the belligeren
countries are going easily 10 surrendel
the higher wages that they have beer
: getting in war time. Whatever els,
: may happen after the fighting is over
. close observers agree that there will b.
/ a great assertion OF the rights and de
, mands of the laboring classes. Their.
will not be d docile and unlimited sup
? ply of 'pauper' labor. The cost of pro
duction will almost infallibly risl
abroad If it does, the peril of dump
ing may never be so acute as SOM
Americans fear.
"The whole question is confessed,
speculative. But if We cannot be sur
: of the outcome, one way or the other
tuiS TACT ought 10 ne an argumen
against hastily conceived Legislation
that may be both needless and mis-
; chievous"
: The Nation's view is the sane vieY
:, and We believe it is reflected by so pc
cent of the thinking people of tn
, United States. TO make the war a
Il avcuSA for SaGdlincs another ay-o NJ t,f,v
:, tariff robbery upon the country, in tn
!, face of q prosperity which is spread
:, ing steadily and consistently, would b
9 10 commit a grave economic injustice
II the United States cannot take care c
=, itself in competition with devastate
: and debt-ridden Europe for years t
J, come, there is small hope that tart
subsidies will save us.
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