Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-10-16
HOOVER LINKS PROSPERITY TO FOREIGN TRADE

war the Democratic administration
found it necessary to take such action
administration only four such incidents
have arisen. Every American must hope
that they will not again arise.
Government cooperation in promot-
| ing foreign trade is even more i'm
portant for the future than it has been
for the past 1t is more important to
New England than it has ever been
before. With the assurance of peace
for many years to come the world is
upon the Threshold of great CONNER
eial expansion. The other great nations
CT the world have been slowly recover
ing from the war. They have attained
a very large degree of economic sta
bility. They are developing increased
efficiency in production and distribution
and promotion of trade.
Come Here to Study.
Almost every month brings some
deputation from abroad to study our
methods and processes, which they soon
translate into their own use. We Go not
begrudge them all of our technical and
other information. We search with
equal diligence to translate their meth
DDS OF progress to our own use. We
have the intelligent self-interestt to
realize that 1t is in the prosperity and
progress of the world as whole that
we must seek expansion in our foreign
trade. Nevertheless, as the stability of
foreign nations becomes greater and
their methods improve, their COMPETE
ton for neutral markets will become
sharper. To receive our due share of
prosperity in these markets we must
continue an increasing vigorous CO.
operation from our Government.
One of the most important economic
issues of this campaign is the protective
tariff. The Republican party has for
70 years supported tariff designed to
give adequate protection to American
labor. American industry and the
American farm against foreign COM
petition
Our opponents, after 10 years of con-
tlnuous opposition to this Republican
doctrine. now seek to convince the
American people that they have nothing
to fear from tariff revision at their
hands. The Democratic platform states
that they will revise the duties to a
basis of effective competition" They
did this once before. When the Under
wood tariff bill was introduced to Con-
gress In 1913, the Democratic ways and
means committee of the House present.
ed 1t to the country as a competitive
tariff That measure was surely not
protective tariff. 1t greatly reduced
the tariffs on American manufactures
and it removed almost the whole pro-
lection Of the agricultural industry.
The competition which it provided was
competition with foreign wages and
standards Of living.
Tested Briefly.
The Democratic tariff was subjected
to test for only few months prior to
the outbreak of the war. Those few
months showed the beginnings of dis
aster in both industry and agriculture.
The production of goods abroad COM
peting with our goods ceased during
the war and tariff rates became rela-
lively unimportant. 1t was not until
peace was restored that its Ill effects
were completely disclosed to the Ameri-
can people. It would seem fair to as
sumo from the declaration Of the au-'
thorS of the measure at the time the
Underwood bill was passed that 1t was
the ideal of an effective competitive"
tariff. Be this as 1t may, competition,
to be effective, must mean that foreign
goods viii have opportunity OF success
fully invading our home markets. The
means reduction of the tariff and a
depression IN American wages and
American farm prices to meet foreign
competition.
It means food of foreign goods, Of
foreign farm produce with the conSe-
quent reduction of wages and income OF
not only workers and farmers, but the
whole Of those who labor whether In
the field. the bench, or the desk. The.
Republican party stands for protection
and on coming into power in 1922 IT erl-
acted again protective tariff both to
agriculture and industry
Every argument urged by Our oppo-
nents against the increased duties in the
Republican tariff act has been refuted
by actual experience. It is contended
that our costs of production would in
crease. Their prophecy was wrong, for
our costs have decreased. They urged
that the duties which We proposed
would increase the price Of nlanufac-
tured goods-yet prices have steadily
decreased. 1t was urged that by remov-
ing the pressure of competition of for
eign goods, our industry would fall In
efficiency. The answer to that Is found
in our vastly increased production per
man in every branch Of industry, which,
indeed, is the envy of our competitors.
Imports on Increase.
They asserted that the enactment OF
the tariff would reduce the volume of
our imports. yet during the last seven
years our total imports, particularly of
goods which we do not ourselves pro-
duce, have greatly increased. They pre-
dicted that with decreasing imports it
would follow that our sales Of goods
abroad would likewise decrease. Again
they were wrong. Our exports have in
creased to unprecedented totals. In fact
every single argument put forth by our
opponents against us at that time was
proved to be fallacious. The tariff writ
ten by the Republican party In 1922 has
been accompanied by everything which
our opponents predicted that the tariff
would prevent. 1t has been accom-
panied by employment and prosperity:
The Tariff Commission is a most val
liable arm of the Government. 1t can
be strengthened and made more useful
in several ways. But the American
people will never consent to delegattng
authority over the tariff to any COM
mission, whether non-partisan or bi-
partisan. Our people have right to ex-,
press themselves at the ballot upon so
vital question as this There is only
one commission to which delegation OF
that authority can be made. That Is
the great commission of their own
choosing, the Congress of the United
States and the President. 1t is the only
commission which can be held respon-
sible to the electorate. Those who be-
lieve in the protective tariff will. am
sure, wish to leave It's revision at the
hands of that party which has been de-
voted to establishment and maintenance
of that principle for 10 years.
None Is Perfect.
No tariff act is perfect. With the
shifting of economic tides some items
may be higher than necessary, but I'M
doubtedly some are too low. This is
particularly true so far as New Eng
land is concerned. New England has
many protected industries. One I'M