The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1921-06-23
That Diplomatic Bluff


Referring to the speeches deliver
ed by certain foreign diplomats at the
annual meeting of the National
J. Manufacturers Association recently,
a prominent business man, in a per-
sonal letter, writes so pertinently that
we feel that our readers should have
the opportunity of reading his words.
The said diplomats endeavored to i'm
plant into the minds of their hearers
the idea that if we exact an adequate
Protective Tariff, foreign nations will
pass retaliatory legislation and that
we shall lose our foreign markets.
Just how much attention should be
paid to such veiled threats is ably
stated in the letter referred to, as fol-
lows:
"This same bluff has been used al
ways to intimidate, if possible, such
members of our legislative bodies as
are in doubt. The foreign nations
that are interested in exporting their
product to this country have always
maintained a highly paid lobby at
Washington to use any available
means to prevent, if possible, Tariff
legislation that would conflict with
the interests they represent.
when we analyZe the condition,
we find that Europe is buying only
such of our products as she cannot
produce and must have. Therefore,
any Tariff legislation that we might
enforce would not prevent their pur-
chasing such of our products as they
require, and this is all that they will
do under any circumstances. Any
such legislation would not in any way
influence or decrease our exports, for
the reason named. Besides, the vol
ume of our export trade, as compared
with the volume Of our gross products
in 1920 was only 10 per cent, and
previous to the war was only per
cent, so it is not serious factor if we
lose it all, provided the imports de- ,
crease proportionately.
when we further analyZe the sit !
uation, we find that the United States
occupies the unique position of being
practically independent of the world. .
There are few articles that we would !
be compelled to import. Under /
strained conditions we could produce
practically all of them at home. On
the other hand, Europe is strictly de-
pendent, first, on some of our raw
materials and, second, on the absorp-
tion of a portion of their manufact-
ured products. No sane man would
commit suicide, and it would be sui
eide to open our markets to permit the
European nations to displace with
their products the products of our
American labor, close our industries
and, in a measure, create commercial
paralysis here, in order to benefit the
foreign nations. These same nations
are making every effort, and using all
available means, even using the
money we loaned them, in order to
further their commercial interests and
destroy our competition, if possible,
by the many cheap products they are
able to produce at less labor cost"
As the writer is himself an exporter
he knows whereof he speaks, and his
words have an added force on that ac-
count. He closes his letter with the
statement that he realizes that we
should do everything possible to aid
Europe to recover from the effects of
the late war, short of bringing dis
aster to ourselves. 1t would avail lit
tie if we should ruin our own indus
trise in order to help build up Europe.
We can best serve Europe, as well as
ourselves, by maintaining our present
standards and upholding our ideals.
We must do our own work and give
of our abundance. In order to do
that, we must have an adequate Pro-
tective Tariff which shall give our
own producers at least an equal
chance in our own markets in COM
petition with the products of foreign
nations. MISREPRESENTATION is the
first law of nature. Exchange.