New-York tribune., 1920-10-27

one of great number Of our Ameri
can products that suffered precisely the
same fate when Democratic tariff pol
ley was applied. Under the Democratic
tariff law OF 1913 the country was
already approaching industrial disas.
ter when the World War began. What
happened in the case of zinc also hap
pened in many other industries. The
foreign demand was SO great and
prices we're so unimportant that every
thing we could produce was promptly
taken by the warning nations. So the
end of the war the foreign demand,
not only for zinc but for a great num-
Der Of other products whose protection
has been removed. Immediately fell off.
The story Of zinc, since that time,
is simply an epitomc of the story of
American industries generally. With
demand reduced and with foreign conf
petition desperately seeking our un~
protected markets, we have suddenly
found ourselves at the beginning OF
an era in which. unless the American
policy of protection is resumed, we
are bound to become more and more
the dumping ground for the products
of all the world. Produced by cheaper
labor, they must inevitably drive our
own products out OF our own markets,
compel the suspension of production
at home, and bring idleness and suf-
fering, not merely to the thousands of
workers in hundreds of particular in
dustries, but to the millions OF workers
in hundreds of industries.
Along with this disaster to the min
ing and industrial interests has come
n similar disaster to American agricul-
ture. The recent slump in prices of
agricultural products has brought
great hardship to American agricul-
ture. Vast crops were raised under
conditions which made them extremely
costly, and now that the farmers have
them in hand they find that prices
have fallen so suddenly and rapidly
that enormous losses must be sus-
tanned.
Protection Promised as Remedy
"Io all who are bringing tn Is story of
continuing losses and impending dis
'N'NOA VIC ieCPUptiSoH party ludheS lue
same reply. 1t is our reply 10 the pro-
ducers of zinc and of wool and of every
other article that depends upon the in
surance that at least the American
market shall be secured to American
industry. We reply that when the
Republican party is restored to con-
troll of the government after March a
next there will be prompt return to
the American system of protection for
American industry That policy, has
been to cqualize the cost of produc-
tion at home and abroad.
LAS to zinc. it is my recollection
that the Republican meyabers of the
Senate Subcommittee on finance, Sen
ators Watson and Curtis. voted TO re-
port favorably the tariff bill desired
by the American zinc interests, prcvid-
ing for tariff of 2 cents a pound on
the metallic contents Of imported zinc
ores. But the Democratic members
voted against it.
when l am President, if such a
measure is again urged. and if it is
found to comply with the Republican
formula Of imposing sufficient tariff to
measure the difference between the
cost Of production at home and abroad,
I shall certainly give ny support to it.
Broadly speaking, this is the Republi-
tan tariff policy as it has been in the
past, and when the Republican party
returns TO power it will be reinstated
as carly as possible"