Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1918-07-19
The South and the Tariff

1t is with unalloyed pleasure that The
people Of the North observe each sue
ceeding evidence OF industrial develop
ment in the South, In fact, the political
and economic theories OF the North
tend to make the North rejoice over
the success Of any section OF the coun'
try. Unity OF interest, unity OF purpose
and unity Of endeavor has always beer
our conception OF nationalism II We
were guided only by selfish interest, We
would still be gratided by Southern
prosperity, for the South cannot flour
ish without a reflected benefit coming
to the North,
II is pleasing, therefore, 10 read the
news that "The South is expanding It's
textile industries" and that "the dye
industry is expanding in the South
The former item is cleaned from
the Manufacturers Record and
the latter from the Christian Science
Monitor, According to the Record,
more than two million dollars was re-
CURED 10 finance the building and
equipping OF new mills and extensions
in cotton manufacturing in the South
during the three months Of April, May,
and June, The ultimate investment in
these enterprises will be far greater
North Carolina, Virginia and Georgia,
in the order named, lead in the new en-
terprises. And down in Mobile, Ala,
large dye factory is under construc-
ton
What a splendid thing this is, What
enterprise is demonstrated and what an
awakening is indicated, when the South
shows 50 much evidence OF getting
away from the old idea that it must
merely raise the cotton and ship it else
where to be manufactured, How proud
the South will be 10 show cloth made in
the South from Southern cotton, and
dyed with Southern dye
And with this new development in in
dustry, the South will come to look
with clearer vision upon national eco
nomic problems. Great Britain has been
keeping her factories up to full capa-
city, and more, during the war, and is
today making knit goods and clothes
for American soldiers. Germany has
more factories for the production Of
dyes than she had before the war,
though some of them are making mum
itions, temporarily, Japan has largely
increased her textile mills, and has
dye industry which she expects to OPP
crate for export purposes when the war
is over. Great Britain, and Germany
and Japan, all expect to sell their pro-
ducts in America in competition with
the products OF American mills, both
North and South
What is the South going to do about
it; Just now there is a demand for the
restriction of child labor, and the South
is opposing it, though that opposition
cannot long succeed Gradually the
wage scales, the hours of labor, and all
other manufacturing conditions in the
South will he placed on the same stand
ard as in the North. The South will be
face to face with the injurious compe-
tition of foreign producers. Will the
South then stand for free trade, as it
has in the past, or will it insist upon
protective tariff which shall represent
at least the difference in cost of produc-
ton at home and abroad?
There can be but one answer to this
question. The South will stand for an
America First tariff law, and will send |
to the Senate and the House men who
advocate that kind of legislation Next
North Carolina will have an
to send Republican to
the Senate in the place of Senator Sim
mons, who helped frame the present
tariff law. That will afford fine OPP |
Dortunity for the state to demonstrate
her new conception of American inter
ests and her determination to prepare
Tor the great manufacturing future
which awaits her.