Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1922-09-27
WHY A TARIFF is NEEDED.

A European cartoon IePLou"oN" 80
this country depicts an Engllshmah re-
turning from a trip, laden with goouS
bought in Germany and Boosting that the
goods cost him next to nothing. brush
workers looking on remind him that II
the British merchant buys goods in Ger
MANY which he could get at home he IS
nuttinq British workmen out of jobs
Therein lies one of the soundeSt reasons
for a protective tariff.
We hear much at present to the effect
that the Fordney bill will increase the
cost of living. Even assuming for the
sake of argument that it should, II the
protective tariff keeps our Industries
alive, people employed at good wages are
better able to buy higher priced goods
/ than those who are unemployed are able
to buy cheaper commodities. No one will
doubt that under present conditions Ger
many can produce any commodity at al
most a fraction of the cost in this coun-
try. Her deprecated currency enables
her to do that If cheapness were the
only object in view, we would have no
barrier of duties to discourage the impor-
tation of foreign goods. In that case we
could buy commodities at less than we
now pay, yet what we would pay directly
for foreign goods would not be all that
we would pay. We would pay a heavy
penalty on the loss in idle industries and
idle men.
1t would be an ideal condition if what
every individual wanted to buy could be
duty free and that which he wanted to
sell subject to a protective tariff. The
inference to be drawn from many of the
arguments against a protective tariff
seems to be that this is the sort of pro-
tective tariff which the opponents of the
present law want. The absurdity of such
a proposition, however, is apparent, al
though Congress, in framing tariff law,
was confronted with demands which, es-
sentially, were not less ridiculous. The
underlying cause of most of the prevail
ing opposition to the law which has Just
been enacted is due to the many con-
flicting and selfish interests, each want
ing a tariff of its own, or for reasons not
always apparent, not wanting any tariff.
1t is obvious that if the country is to have
revenue, duties must be levied and in
levying them we not only secure revenue
but protect those who are producing in
competition with foreign cheap labor
and that labor has never been so cheap
as it is at present.
There never was tariff bill which
did not arouse strong opposition and the
Fordney law seems to be running true to
the form of its predecessors in this re.
spect. If some Of the provisions of the
present law are defective they should be
made the subject of whatever correction
experience may dictate, and if the pres
ent law is to be what its name implies, a
protective tariff, it's operation should be
carefully studied with a view to prevent
ing the exploitation of the home con-
sumner for the benefit of any particular
Interests. That an undertaking as gigantic
as the enactment of tariff law for the
protection of country like ours, with 50
many divergent interests, must be fraught
with great difficulty is obvious. That
such law enacted in the, midst of uni
versal economic chaos must, of necessity
contain some defects, is equally obvi-
Gus. But it affords the basis of a protective
tariff which can be perfected through
modification wherever modification may
be found necessary, and in time be made
to meet the needs of people which in
slsts upon higher standard of living
than its foreign competitor.