The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1922-07-22
WHY GIVE OURSELVES
THE WORST OF IT?-


discussed in the British House of
Commons few days ago. In the
course of the discussion Sir Robert
Horne, chancellor of the Exchequer,
stated that the British government
would keep the fact steadily in mind
that the payment of her debts to
this country would be very difficult,
If not quite impossible, unless the
American tariff were lowered to
such a point as to enable British
goods to enter America freely.
This statement has been seized
upon by free trade advocates and
international bankers as an argu-
ment against the enactment of a
protective tariff. British propaganda
is being disseminated throughout the
United States carrying the very
plain intimation that if we expect
Great Britain to pay US the money
she borrowed of US during the war
we must permit her to exploit our
markets. This is but continuation
of the propaganda against an Amer
lean protective tariff which British
influences have been waging ever
since the present tariff bill was first
proposed in the House of Represen-
tatives. 1t is but a repetition of
the propaganda which Great Britain
always wages against the enact
ment of a protective tariff in this
country.
However, it would seem that the
British government has overdone
the matter by intimating it will be
unable to pay the United States
loans negotiated during the war un-
less we maintain low tariff. What
is Sauce for the goose" should be
''sauce for the gander." and if
Great Britain is sincere in such a
position, then it would naturally
follow that she would assume the
same attitude toward her European
debtors that she expects us to as
sumo toward her. According to
official data from the records of
the various governments, on March
81, 1921, Great Britain had out
standing to European countries war
loans to the amount of $8,765, AGO.
900. Her principal debtors, outside
of the defunct government of Rus
STA, are France, Italy, Belgium, Ser
bia, Portugal, Roumania and Greece.
All Of these countries prior to the
European war traded extensively
with Great Britain and her colonies.
All Of these countries at present
are in worse shape financially than
Great Britain. If she cannot pay
her war debts to us unless she is
permitted to have free access to our
markets, 1t is still more difficult for
these counties to pay their war
debts to her unless they have free
access to the markets of the United
Kingdom and the British dominions
and colonies. The question then ma
turally presents itself, is Great Brit
ain extending to her debtors the
same economic privileges which she
demands the United States extend
to Great Britain?
The answer to this is found in
tariff legislation of the British EN-
pire since the armistice. To begin
with, the United Kingdom departed
from her traditional free trade pol
icies and enacted the Safeguarding
of Industries Act under which she
imposes tariff of 1913 per cent
upon all articles manufactured by
what she trims "key" industries.
This list comprises over 5000 diff
ferent commodities.
Since the armistice every British
dominion, which includes Canada,
Australia, New Zealand, the Union
of South Africa and British India,
have enacted high tariff laws. Since
the armistice every British colonial
possession, whether it be an island
or located upon some continent,
has put into effect high tariff laws.
And in every instance the tariff laws
enacted by the United Kingdom and
each Of the British possessions pro-
vide a discrimination in favor of all
articles imported from any other
part Of the British Empire. This
discrimination ranges from 10 to
40 per cent and operates against i'm
ports from every other nation in
the world.
The tremendous handicap this lays
upon other nations of the world
particularly England's European deb.
tors, may be readily ascertained
from the fact that Great Britain's
colonies comprise 20 per cent of the
total colonial population of the
globe. In other words, Great Brit,
ain and her colonies have not only
imposed high tariff against the
products of her European debtors
but they have devised tariff sys.
tenn which discriminates against the
products of her European debtors
in trade with 10 per cent of the
colonial population of the world az
well as the trade with the mother
country.
Great Britain expects her Euro
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