, 1922-07-10
4 Ma1om Statesman

NARTER GLASS, Democratic senator from vir.
" ginia is one of the numerous Democratic leaders
who advocate the purchase of commodities of local
production without fully approaching the force of
the same argument when applied nationally.
Senator Glass is editor and owner of the Lynch
burg. Va, News, and like all editors and publishers
does a lot of boosting for the old home town. In
a recent issue the News gives the first column on
its editorial page to a plea for the support of the
course, calls for contributions from the pockets of
the people of the community. Among the good pur-
poses of the chamber is "to encourage buying at
home and buying home products"
Now, just a~nalyze the proposition which Senator
Glass holds out to his constituents. He wants them
to tax themselves to maintain a chamber of COM
mercc to induce themselves to buy home products
and build up their common interests. Yet, in ma
tional legislation, Mr.. Glass is opposed to a pro-
tective tariff. the purpose of which is to levy an i'm
port tax in order to induce our people to purchase
domestic products as a means of building up our
common national interests. If there is any funda-
mental difference between the two propositions, we
fail to see it. Mr.. Glass and his Democratic asso-
ciates are in favor of a tax to build up local in.
terests-they are opposed to a tax, part of which,
at least, will be paid by the foreigner, to build up
our national interests.
Local pride ought to be sufficient to induce every
individual in Lynchburg to buy local products, but
experience demonstrates that pride in the achieve
ments of the community is not a sufficient incen-
tive there or elsewhere There must be community
action in order to promote the common welfare;
and so it is in national affairs. Lynchburg is a
peanut growing community, and every American,
Wnetner residing In the Vicinity OF IyncnDurS or IN
the farthest corner of the United States, should buy
and consume American peanuts if possible. But
experience shows that importers, always looking
for the largest margin of profit, will buy peanuts
in Asia at a low price and bring them here to be
sold without any information as to the place of pro
duction. For the purpose of limiting that sort of
business, and compelling the importer to contrib
ute to the support of American institutions the Re
.publicans propose to place an adequate import tax
not only on peanuts but on every other commodity
which can be produced in this country but which
49, ~ rN1rf rhanrnrH frarr Gonna Nthn~ Ar1Ar
The purpose of the Republican protective tariff
is pretty much the same as one of the purposes of
the Lynchburg Chamber of Commerce, which Sena-
tor Glass wants the people to tax themselves to sup
porto induce the buying of home products. Every
local chamber of commerce in the home town of
every Democratic senator or congressman has the
same purpose Yet Senator Glass and his Demo
cratic colleagues refuse to see the similarity or the
application of the same principles in the two cases.
1t is suggested to Senator Glass that the next
time his newspaper makes a plea for the purchase
of local products that it point out any reason why
there should not be national community action to
encourage the purchase of American products by
Americans everywhere.