The sun., 1918-11-12
PROTECTION OR FREE
TRADE?
Are American Industries to Be Saved
After the Wari


To THE EDITOR OF THE SuN-Sir. Al
the business Of prosecuting the war to
successful issue shows signs Of accom-
plishment in the near future, what of
the business in this country after peace
arrives or is practically assured? Shall
We be found as Ill prepared for the COM
mercil struggle. which will surely &C.
cur, as we were to engage in war?
Everybody is talking glibly about the
wonderful prosperity we arc to enjoy
after swords have been turned into
ploughshares. but the measure of that
prosperity will depend largely on what
steps We take to secure It. Are we to
have free trade or reasonable protection
Are the people who have invested
millions in the creation OF products
hitherto imported. chemicals. dyestuffs
and many other commodities, to be pro-
tected In their investments and encour-
aged to keep on In the splendid work
they have been doing, OF are they to
be told. as once before from Washing
ton. that the only way for them to
succeed is to become so efficient that
competition. no matter how unfair or
Free trade sounds all right in a col
lege class room. and an inadequate and
i'll considered tarifr suits a jot of peo-
pie south of the Mason and Dixon line.
but these things do not always work
well in practice. Many manufacturers
throughout the country win not easily
forget that the Underwood tariff law
was reducing their profits to the van
ishing point and would have wiped them
out altogether II the war, had not prac-
tically stopped importation, thus Great
ing an equivalent to an absolutely pro-
hibitive tariff.
When that tariff was being promul-
gated. men who went to Washington tc
lay their case before the Ways and
Means Committee not only received
scant courtesy, but also were branded
as lobbyists and held UP to derision.
Now a lot OF those tariff makers are
still in Washington and ready to do the
same thing again when. and Il. the OPP
portunity comes.
Hearings were farce. One very i'm
portant section Of the schedule, cover
ing a business in which many millions
OF dollars and many thousands Of en-
ployees were involved. had only ono day
set aside for Its discussion, and that
discussion was useless because. without
investigation or technical knowledge OF
the subject, the tariff makers, having
set out to reduce all along the line. paid
little attention to the merits Of any mar
tIcular case. 1t is probably true tnat
many items should have been reduced.
but It is none the less certain that others
should have been increased or kept as
they were. Tho result was what might
have been. expected. very negotiable
and in many cases a destructive tariff.
In one department OF the business to
which have alluded. the duties which
the manufacturers here had to pay on
the raw materials they imported were
much higher than the duty on the nm
ished product brought here from Ger
many, and yet we were told to be more
efficient German postcards could be
brought here and, with duty and COM
missions paid. put upon the market for
less than the most efficient" manufac-
turer could possibly produce them.
II any sane man thinks that the same
thing will not happen again II the same
men have their say, his case will be like
that Of the man who married second
time and which DR.. Johnson described
as "a triumph OF hope over experience"
Is 1t not about time to relesate these
men to oblivion before they have an
opportunity further TO disrupt the busi-
ness Of this country?
ARTHUR T. RICE.
NEW Yong November IL