Milford chronicle., 1922-08-25
UNCLE TED'S
BEDTIME STORIES
Uncle Ted Downs Free Trade Argu-
ment-Figures Prove More Ex.
ports Than Imports Under
Protective Tariff.

L dont just understand it, that's
all" said Ruth.
well, 1 don't understand it much
myself but 1 know enough from what
Uncle Ted has told us that Freddie is
: all wrong. 1t is silly to say that If
we keep other countries from sending
all the goods they want into our coun-
try to sell that we can't sell anything
to them" Jack was more than en-
phatic with his ideas about the tariff.
"The heat doesn't seem to worry you
kiddies much when it comes to an
argument" said Uncle Ted as he came
into the room wiping the perspiration
from his face. "You know it is much
cooler in, your room and there is a
big fan there too, so what do you say
if we wind our way toward the land
of nod?"
"Oh, Gee! Uncle Ted" said Jack,
1--WE don't want to go to bed yet. It's
too hot to go to bed"
"What is harder for you kiddies
than going to bed? I'll tell you. If
you will get undressed you can come
down here for a half hour and I'll
tell you something that will help both
of you when Freddie asks you again
about selling goods to other coun-
tries"
1t was no sooner said than done and
Uncle Ted had no more than seated
himself as comfortably as possible
when the kiddies were ready for their
story.
'You see, children, the Republican
party has always stood for what is
known as a protective tariff to pro-
tect American workmen and American
products against the sale of foreign
goods in this country at lower prices
and of inferior quality in many cases.
Now, of course, with a new tariff law
in sight those opposed to a protective
tariff are spreading all kinds of wild
stories. They say that if we don't buy
from other countries we can't sell to
them. That is not true because any
body can write to the Department Of
Commerce at Washington, as I have
done, and they will find that in A
of the 48 years since 1874 we have
sold more goods abroad than we have
purchased. It is foolish for anyone 60
argue that other countries are buying
from us simply because we have
bought from them. There is no more
sentiment in international business,
not as much, if we admit sentiment
enters into national business. We
don't buy oranges from California
simply because we sell them automo-
biles. We buy California oranges be-
cause we want them and like them
and they buy our automobiles because
they are good cars. These free trade
people try to paint an awful picture
of what will happen to our trade if we
put protective tariff into effect, that
other countries will stop buying our
goods, etc. There is no truth in this
argument.
"Here are some figures for argu-
ment's sake. During the year 1912
and 1913 the Payne-Aldrich protective
tariff bill was in effect, but there was
no such trouble as free traders would
have us believe. In 1912 Canada
bought goods from us amounting to
1925, ,257, 1874 while our purchases from
her amounted to only $10S,81S,S6S.
That was quite a difference but in
1913 the difference was even greater
and the amount of goods sold to us
by Canada totaling only $120,571, ,1SO
while her purchases of American
goods amounted to $415,449,457.
Everywhere you look there is abso-
lutely no foundation to the argument
that an American protective tariff will
destroy our foreign trade. All the
figures have been able to run down,
taken from years when we had the
protective tariff show that our export
trade was greater than our import
trade.
"Going back to the year 1912 we
find that our foreign business amount
ed to total of $1,S41, ,7S2,79S while
Europe's total business with us
amounted to only $S19,5S5,326.
MANY of those who are doing their
best to defeat a protective tar1H are
using Germany as one of their main
arguments. Germany makes a fine
target for them because them love to
tell us how Germany is stepping ahead
by leaps and bounds and how she will
walk away with everything. In using
the German argument they forget they
are proving nothing so for as tariff
is concerned. What they are doing is
to make a very unpleasant rehectlon
on American business and the men
behind American business. The actual
figures of business with Germany dur
ing the two years of 1912, 1913, when
Germany was in her prime and long
before the Great War even started
are the best proof against the German
argument. During those two years we
bought from Germany goods totaling
$36O,343,451.
"Gee, that's a lot of money to send
there" said Ruth.
Eyes, Ruth, but we sold goods TO |
Germany during those same twenty
four months totaling $63S,643,2S3 or |
almost twice as much! Does that look |
like a protective tariff kills our foreign |
trade? Hardly! And not only that
but if the free trader wants to rest
on the German argument 1t is simple
enough to point out to him that those
figures represent two Of the biggest
German years before the war. Ger
MANY today needs much more than
She did then and certainly, while she
is getting on her feet rapidly, is not
yet in the same position for world
trade that she was in 1912 and 1918
ESQ it is all down the line. Italy
and Great Britain both paid us more
money under a protective tarln than
we paid either Of them. Sentiment
blood ties and all that cannot enter
into world trade. We either nave OF
haven't the goods to sell and we either
must protect our goods and the men
who make the goods or we Will see
our markets flooded with everything
fO f6n North BOle. |