New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1916-10-20
EURCPE'S WAR PROVES
PROTECTION IS RIGHT
Elihu Root Shows That the Re.
publican Party's Cardinal
Principle Has Won the
Only Decisive Battle
Of the Contest.

When Peace Comes and Foreign Com.
mercial Considerations Look Hun
sriiy Toward America, We Shall
Deserve What Happens to Us II
Provision Is Not Made Against Dis
aster by a Tariff Quite Different
From the Underwood Folly.
There Is one particular subject with
which the United States must deal
in order to meet the. rcyulsion in pro
ductiOn and trade which viii accom-
pany the close of the great war. That
Is the Tariff. / think there is very
general agreement upon tbdt. When
the demand for supplies to the armies
In the field has ended great numbers
of men will return to productive en-
ployment In Europe and great num-
bers of operatives will be thrown out
of employment here and will have to
find other work. Europe will have
little money and be heavily in debt.
She will be under strong cOIhpulsiOn
10 pay her debts by making and sell
ing goods. She will be ON a basis oi
strict economy and high organization
and She can make and sell cheaply.
The United States will have an alum
dance Of money and vast purchasing
power. Our market has always hepn
attractive to European producers. 1t
will be far more attractive after the
war. 1t is highly probable that even
England will resort to a protective
tariff, 50 that our production will meet
protective barriers In all foreign mar
kets. What are we going TO do tllrn?
We must do something. We must pro-
tcct ourselves or we SHAH become the
dumping ground of the world and our
workmen will beg in the streets.
Even the Democrats have seen
that something must be done, for they
have provided a tariff board 10 ascer-
tain and report the true facts to which
a tariff law is to be applied. IN Mr..
Taft's Administration the Repub. leans
provided for a tariff board TO report
to the President and it vas appointed
and doing excellent work. When the
Democratic House elected In 1910
came in they starved it out of exist
ence by refusing appropriations. In
the last session of the G1st Congress
the Republicans passed through both
Houses a new bill for a tariff board to
report to Congress. There were some
slight differences of detail in the two
II,r.N, ,,I;at ,,nro op,ool ,Nnp w
conference. but the Democrats flihus-
tered against the final conference re
port and so killed the bill. SO the.
tariff board was dead-Slaiu by the
Democratic party. 1t has how been
rFsurrected by that party because they
see that something must be done
about the tariff when the war closes.
Now, We can all understand that If the
country want a tariff for revenue only
they may put the making of 1t In the
hands Of the Democratic party. But.
can any sane man contemplate that
party making n protective tNriiff In
the first place they can't do ii honestly.
They don't believe In it. They were
born and bred in a different faith.
They have been crying so long that
protection Is an abuse Of power and an
abomination that they can't reconcile
themselves to a protective tariff, and
they regard the Underwood tariff as a
model. That is what We are to have
If the Democrats go back. The Under
wood tariff still, with perhaps here
,,Al ,I,r. 4, -I..l ..I:G1-.; ,. ,.y-.,l
ing dye slulis and some other articles
which can be shown to gentlemen
from Missouri and elsewhere. Wen,
If there ever was Il clumsy, Ill conceiv-
ed miSit law, 1t is the tariff which
bears Mr.. Undcrwood's name. We had
already discovered what its effect was
when the war in Europe began.
Many mills and factories were
closed or running but Il part Of the
time. Great Numbers Of laborerS were
thrown out Of employment and the
market for American products was
still further reduced by the destruc-
ton Of their purchasing power. En- '
tcrpriSe halted, discouraged and arprr-
hcnsive Of the futlre. New enter
p"is,s were no longer attempted. Old
plants were no longer enlarG, d.. The
Underwood tariff had already failed
when the war in Europe began. That
war furnished and continues to fur
niSh to American production the most
absolute protection because it has 10 50
great a degree stopped production in
Europe. SO long as the war lasts our
producers have practically no cOnpe-
tiiiOn in our home market. for Europe
does not make the goods TO sell here.
At the same time, while the war lasts
u producers have an enormous mar
ket in Europe for the things that Eu-
rope cant produce in sufficient guam
titles. When the war Is over that con-
dition will cease, and we shall deserve
what happens to us If we do not pro-
vide against that time by a tariff quite
different from the Underwood tariff
and made by men who do not consider
a tariff for revenue only an article
Of religious faith.-From the speech Of
Elihu Root delivered at Carnegie Hall,
New York City, october s. 1916.