Evening journal., 1918-06-18
TUESDAY, JUNE 18, 1918.
PROTECTIVE TARIFF THE BEST AGENCY.


DEPRESSING the American Manufacturers Export
"A Association in New York. Sir Frederick Black Of
the British Admiralty, told the members they must find
The happy medium between cut-throat competition and
monopolistic combines which preyed the consumer
The suggestion received with cheers.
zone OF the greatest principles have got to look
for at the end of the war; said the speaker s to get
the right kind OF competition in trade not the bad kind
of competition. We shall have to nnd the happy
medium between unrestricted competition that may be
rinous to all OF and that proper vali1lns element
of competition which is sood for enterprise"
Fhe speaker concluded his address by indicating his
belief that there little TO bother with postwar
trade preparations. for could tell what the terms
OF peace would be- what economic and territorial
and tariff conditions would be agreed upon. Certain
members Of his audience. talking the matter among
themselves afterwards suggested that this the at
tiiude which Great Britain with respect prepara-
lions for the great war. after had started policy
Which cost John Bull hundreds Of thousands OF lives
and untold millions Of treasure and a policy which
own administration slavlshly copied. notwithstanding
The example Great Britain had furnished us.
Protection has proved itself to be the best agency in
getting the right kind OF competition the United
States It permits sufficient competition from abroad TO
stabilize prices in market without encouraging il 10
such degree to ruin American industry and slipping
labor into frayed pantaoons There to be an old
shiDboleth OF the Democratic party 'the tariff is the
mother OF the trusts" Even the Democratic party is
>sfrad to sound that in these days.
Sureese had had free trade in years gone by
How much quickly would the big interests have
gotten together all over the world TO combine for
"mutual benefits" just certain representatives Of
European and American steel interests got together
in Germany with view to fixing world prices on GER
tain steel products And If the testimony taken
before the Congressional Committees one Immediately
becomes struck with the that feX IL any of the
so-caed trusts" utraprotectye In their tariff
views. It IS the sman and the normal sized concerns
that require protection from foreign competition the
most, and they constitute the backbone OF American
Industry. SO radically has the Democratic viewpoint
changed with respect TO trade combinations the Webb
bill passed under the present administration per-
init combination for foreign trade without limit.
Protection also has general tendency to encourage
importation Of the desirable goods from abroad,
rather than the shodder sort. The who prefers |
the imported article sufficiently to pay the price Of IT,
generally wants the best quality. Surely no agency
could possibly be found which achieve the happy
medium between unrestricted competition that may be
ruinous to all Of us" and which is good for enter
prise more satisfactorily than the protective tariff per-
mng as 1t does. enough competition from abroad to
spur our home industries to higher efficiency and work
msnshp, Veng with foreign competitors but preventing
he swsmping of our markets with foreign goods in which
one-haf TO onehird the American labor cost has heen
expended to degree which browns out our furnaces
and blows out stacks