Evening star., 1923-12-03


tariff program in the British election
campaign has aroused more than US
ual interest in this country. the
dominant issues in the British con-
fltct relate to questions on which
American editors believe that the
United States will be directly and
perhaps seriously affected should the
protective tariff policy be adopted.
because sit would mean tariff on
all commodities except the staple
foods and such raw material as Great
Britain does not possess"
Though Premier Baldwin has
pledged himself not to levy duties on
food. the threat to American exports
in the remoter aspect would need to
be considered. according to the
Springfield Republican. which be-
lieyes a British tariff without taxes
on food or raw material would still
serve perhaps as a thin edge OF the
wedge; moreover, II misht Iead
of the British system of free trade,
which has undoubtedly helped to en-
rich America during the past CEN
tury." AS the Baltimore Sun puts IT,
the program, of course, looks to
keeping out American as well as con-
tinental competition, even though our
manufactures are not assisted by un-
healthy currency deprecia ton" Fur
thermore, by a policy of protection
| Great Britain can seriously injure
France and Belgium, but she can do
little to help herself" Americans.
after completing their latest tariff
policy, in the opinion of the New
York Post. cannot rebuke England
for such moderate protectionist meas
ures as will follow a conservative
victory" but "in the near future The
1 - 80 h,erI 80 t@rn
may begin to recede and 1t would r1-
courage tariff reformers everywhere
if they could point to the English
verdict as marking the decisive break
in its sweep"
X X X
That the movement is intended as
blow at the supremacy of the
United States is admitted" asserts
the Norfolk (Neb) News. because Pre-
mier Baldwin said he would not be
satisfied till the empire had go de-
veloped that il would be absolutely
independent of America If a general
tariff is adopted, the News says,
"duties will probably be placed upon
wheat, since the farmer, compelled to
pay the higher prices that the tariff
will produce. will insist on being pro-
tected too: and II the empire can
grow all the cotton 1t wants the ef-
fect upon the American cotton-grow-
ing states would be serious, since
England is one of the chief customers
of the growers of the principal south
ern product" The Richmond News
| Leader cites the principle Of "impe-
rial preference" which is bound up
! with the tariff and which f1xes GER
tain imposts In order to favor the
%ah stAtss ssyDf of the Efsh appes
| would be subject to this; Canadian
apples would be exempt. Bring a
| thousand American commodities un-
der the same double disadvantage of
tariff plus imperial preference and
| ing attention to the existing tariff on
automobile accessories. which has
caused a marked falling off in the
British demand for American motor
horns, the Jackson (Mich.) Patriot
declares, IF the British prOtectionists
should win in the coming campaign
we would find our market still fur
, ther curtailed." and that the "possi-
bility Of a British empire self-suffi-
! cient industrially and commercially
| think, but, of course, we could not
complain II another nation should fol-
! low our example," Because Of freight,
insurance and tariff American cars
! even now sell In Great Britain at
nearly twice as much as their price
| in the United States, claims the De-
troit News, which believes 1t would
diminish the business OF the British
automobile manufacturer instead of
bringing the prosperity hoped for, IL
Mr.. Baldwin has his way with the
| tariff.
II the tariff wins in England and we
keep on as we are going, the Des Moines
Register insists, 'it means that within
five years the real rivals in the world
will be Britain and the United States,
| with France and Russia sitting back,
| just as they sat back when the rivalry
| was between Germany and Britain"
And the San Antonio Light suggests
that ut might be a lesson to the United
States II England should adopt protec-
tionism," because, then our foreign
market, already limited as a result of
economic debility abroad, would be still
| further contracted-and Congress would
| hear from more interests than those
+, that are now crying aloud for aid"
| The Oklahoma Oklahoman also suggests
that the proposed British tariff is a mat
ter Of retaliation, with the result that
our high tariff is causing farmers ito
| suffer heavy losses, and making very
| difficult the task OF marketing in other
| countries the surplus OF American
lproduots." The Appleton Post-Crescent