Perth Amboy evening news., 1916-11-03

| devastating war as Is now gong On
in Europe it is possible to destroy in
three years more than can be built in
| fifty years. we can readily see at
what capacity Europe is going to be
kept busy for some time to come
! after peace is declared. Already
enormous orders have been placed
with some of our steel manufacturers
here in America for materials to be
| delivered as soon as the work of re-
construction can be carried on.
| AS we said at the beginning, no
| one living knows what the conditions
are going to be like when the war Is
ever, but our one best guess is that
instead of Europe flooding us with
cheap material, Europe will be call
| ing upon us louder than ever for aid
in the great work she has before her.
Then, too, we must remember this
| enormous war debt that is now run
ming into the billions of dollars. This
debt must be paid and the interest
must be met Where is the money
coming from? The people will have
to pay, of course. All industries will
be taxed to the utmost; all individ
uals will be taxed There will be
taxes everywhere. This will mean
| that labor, in order to pay this enor-
nous tax, will have to be paid higher
wages than were paid before the war,
and industries will have to charge
more for their products in order TO
set the extra amount to pay the tax.
Wages in Europe, especially with the
most efficient labor killed off, will be
higher than ever before because the
demand for labor will be greater.
But the American workingman can
put his high wages in his pocket,
whereas the European worker will
/ have to pay his increase back to his
government to help carry the enor-
nous burden that is now being piled
| up. And yet we sneer sometimes
when it is said that Wilson has kept
us out of war. With wages high In
Europe and the cost of materials up.
who is afraid that America, prosper
Gus, wealthy and efficient. will not be
able to hold up her end? Why, we
will be able to compete even In
, Europe, let alone control our own
home markets.
But supposing that we miss our
guess-and we said at the beginning
that one mans guess was as good as
another's as to conditions after the
war-and supposing that poor, weak,
crippled, debt-ridden Europe is able.
to put it all over this big, fat, pros
! porous country, we still are we'll
| looked after, thanks to the Wilson
administration. We have the tariff
commission that both Republicans
and Progressives, as well as Demo-
Gratis, were demanding four years
ago. This tariff commission is TO
make scientific study of the tariffs
of the different countries and ascer-
tain the economic conditions therein, |
and 1t is to adjust the tariff as often !
and as much as is necessary so as 20 |
Be Of the--gSeatest benefit to the |
American manufacturer. the Ameri-
can business man and the American
laborer.
1t has long been recognized that It
was exceedingly harmful to business
to have so much uncertainty as to
the tariff every four years when there
is danger of change in the admin
istration. Just about as soon as busi-
ness gets adjusted to one set of
schedules along comes another ad-
and passes a new tariff
bill upsetting all the calculations once
more, with the result that the busi-
ness man has but a. shortN breathing
spell between the elections.
The idea of the tariff commission
is to take away all this doubt. The
tariff is to be removed from politics
altogether and placed in the hands
of a commission which shall consist
of an equal number of Democrats
and Republicans so that no one party
can have an advantage. The men on
this commission will devote their
entire time to the study of the tariff
and there will be adjustments from
time to time, without regard to which
party is in power, according to the
effect the schedules have on business
Thus all doubt is removed and busi-
ness need not dread the approach Of
a presidential election any more.
This tariff commission means that
if Europe, even in her crippled and
broken down condition, should so far
us in ability and efficiency rs
to attempt to undersell us in our
home markets, the tariff commission
without any fuss about it, could ad-
Just the tariff schedules so as to take
care of American business, and that
is all there will be to 1t.
Then, why all this hue and cry
about the tariff that we hear from
the Republicans? 1t Is time for the