The Penn's Grove record., 1921-05-13
THE DYE TARIFF IN CONGRESS-

German dyes was vehemently de
nounced by George H. Moses, Senator
from New Hampshire, and as strongly
favored by Philander C. Knox, Sena-
tor from Pennsylvania.
Senator Moses represents the inter-
est of the New England textile manu-
f~acturers who during the twenty years
preceding the World War, failed to
patronize American dye makers and
used German dyes, altho they had a
protective tariff on their manufactur
ed goods. go
Senator Moses denounced the tariff
tinkering as having proven dangerous
to the success of the Republican party
in the past and this bill may be a
Pandora Box for that party now.
There may be some truth in what
Senator Moses said about the tariff
bill in general, but the specific item of
licensing the admission of dyestutt is
in a distinct class by itself, owing to
the conditions brought about by the
World War.
The chemistry of making dyes is
similar to making explosives. Ger
many turned her large dye making
factories into munition factories.
The making of explosives was
greatly enlarged in the United States
during the World War. In fact it was
the dupont Company which furnished
munition which made victory for de-
mocracy. The tariff license is de-
signed to give adequate protection for
the manufacture Of dyes in the United
States for the development and max
ing permanent the industry so it will
not drift back into the hands of Ger
many.
The old controversy of protection
and free trade as strict partisan issues
has many exceptions, because new
conditions bring new necessities.
Great Britain is a free trade nation,
vet at the close of the War Parliament
at once created a license system on
dye importations, and did not wait
years like the I. S. Congress.
Woodrow Wilson is considered a
free trade Democrat, yet Senator
Knox on Monday said: "WDodrow
Wilson had the vision to see what 1t
meant. Twice in his message to Con-
gress he advocated this
The Tariff Commission recommend
ed the dye license tariff on its merits.
The Republican Congress should have
passed it with a whoop two years ago
as a matter of party principle of pro-
lection, yet Senator Moses, a Republi-
cam, on the Finance Committee
held up the bill, most likely be-
cause it is opposed by New England
manufacturers whose patriotism goes
no further than their financial inter-
or+e ,-binb i pTO- Ga11Oa0
In his reply to Senator Moses, Sen
ator Knox said:
at is not my purpose to approach
this question from the standpoint of
the Dolly Warden Calico Mill of New
England. but from the standpoint of
national security, from the standpoint
of the men who have suffered in this
war.
War Lesson Emphasized by Knox
''When the great wal with Germany
broke out in 1914, 80 per cent of all
proiectiles were filled with high eX-
p~lOsives that di~smembered the shell
cases and sent the fragments in all
directions. France and Great Britain
could not produce these high eXplo-
sives, but eventually they were pro-
duced in the United States. In the
last great drive it was found that over
80 per cent of the German shells cap
were filled with gases that
mingled in the air and wrought de
struction to troops long after the eX-
%DlOsion.
"What does this lesson teach? 1t
shows that from a comparatively neg
igible amount of shells filled with
gases in the early days of the war,
hat the trend was in the direction Of
illing nearly all shells with gas. The
French were so blinded to the neces-
sity of developing the chemical indus
,ry, that they were led into Ger
many's grasp through its monopoly Of
he dyestuff industry.
"Who makes dyes today can tomor-
make high explosives, with the
men, the same plant, the same
materials? We leave the worlds pro-
capacity of organized chemis-
try in the hands of Germany, we leave
her with the most deadly weapon that
human ingenuity has yet devised.
"You a sink the German battle
ships; you can blow the great Krupp
plant into Hades and cast the big BeT-
llLO plONSlldIco anu pI ulliHS
but if you leave the dyestuff
industry in the hands of Germany she
will still have the world by the throat.
National Security Involved
"HOW can we refuse to take over for
ourselves this great advantage in IA
tional security? | place no importance
in the economic features of this
amendment, but there is no greater
argument for protection than that of
protection for the American dyestuff
industry.
SIN 1914, when the World War
broke out, there were eve dyestuff
plants in the United States; in 1920
there were 1874; yet we hear gentlemen
crying that this is a monopoly. We
here gentlemen complaining of the
efforts of these American manufactur-
ers to save their plants from destruc-
ton. Every time $40,000,00 is eX-
pended on a b~attleship it m from
the pockets of the people, from the
public; but every time $4,000 900 is