Omaha daily bee., 1919-05-21

wise you upon the matters much bet
ter than can. | can only suggest
the lines of a permanent and work
Able system, and the placing OF the
taxes where they will least hamper
the life of the pople.
There is. fortunately, no occasion
for undertaking in the immediate
future any general revision of our
system of import duties. No seri-
Gus danger OF foreign competition
now threatens American industries.
Our country has emerged from the
war less disturbed and less weakened
than any of the European countries
facture. Their industrial establish
ments have been subjected to great
err strain than ours, their labor force
to a more serious disorganization
and this is clearly not the time to
seek an organized advantage. The
work of mere reconstruction will, l
am afraid, tax the capacity and Me
resources of their people for years to
come.
So far from there being any dan
ger or need of accentuated foreign
competition, it is likely that the con-
ditions of the next few years will
greatly facilitate the marketing of
! American manufacturers abroad
/ Least OF all should we depart from
the policy adopted in the tariff act
of 1918, of permitting the free entry
into the United States of the raw
materials, needed to supplement and
enrich our own abundant supplies.
Profit by Experience.
Nevertheless, there are parts of
our tariff system which need prompt
attention. The experiences of the war
have made it plain that in some
cases to great reliance on foreign
supply is dangerous, and therefore,
in determining certain parts of our
tar policy, domestic considerations
must be borne in mind which are po-
ltical as we'll as economic. Among
NE industries to which special con-
sideration should be given is that of
the manufacture of dyestutfs and re-
lated chemicals.
Our complete dependence upon
German supplies before the war,
made the interruption of trade a
cause of exceptional economic dis
turbance. The close relation between
the manufacture of dyestuffs on the
one hand, and of explosives and
poisonous gases on the other, more
oyer, has given the industry an ex-
ceptional significance and value. AL
though the United States will gladly
and unhesitatingly join in the pro-
! gram of international disarmament,
it will, nevertheless, be a policy of
prudence to makecertain of the sue
cessful maintenance of many of the
strong and we'll equipped chemical
plants. The German chemical indus
try, with which we will be brought
into competition, was and may we'll
be again, a thoroughly knit monop-
oily, capable of exercising a competi-
ton of a peculiarly insiduous and
dangerous kind.
Change Tariff Laws.
The United States should, more
over, have the means of properly
protecting itself whenever our
trade is Disseminated against by
foreign nations, in order that we
may be assured of that equality of
treatment which we hope to accord
and to promote the world over. Our
tariff laws as they now stand pro-
vide no weapon of retaliation in
case other governments should
enact legislation unequal in its bear
ing on our products as compared
with the products of other nations.
Though we are as far as possible
from desiring to enter upon any
course of retaliation, we must frank
1y face the fact that hostile legisla-
ton by other nations is not beyond
the range of possibility and that it
may have to be met by counter leg
islation.
This subject has, fortunately
been exhaustively investigated by
the United States tariff commission.
A recent report of that commission
has shown very clearly that we lack
and that we ought to have the in
struments necessary for the assur-
ance OF equal and equitable treat
ment. The attention of the con-
gress has been called to this matter
on past occasions and the measures
which are now recommended by the
tariff commission are substantially
the same that have been suggested
by previous administrations.
recommend that this phase of the
tariff question receive the early at
tention of the congress-.
Urges Woman Suffrage,
Will you permit me, turning from
these matters, to speak once more
and very earnestly of the proposed
amendment to the constitution
which would extend the suffrage to
women and which passed the house
of 30 IL. 1,c&