Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-13
Tariff Evolution.

1t Is a far cry from the free trade
theories of Democrats of more than
half century ago to the competitive
tariff" theory advanced by the leading
spokesman of the Democrats on the
tariff, Senator Simmons of North Caro-
lima. The North Carolina Senator adj
mitted in his address to the Senate at
lacking the Republican tariff bill now
pending that there has been change
in the attitude of the Democrats toward
the tariff. But he insisted further that
the attitude of the Republicans had
also changed from the principle Of pro-
lection to plan for the exclusion Of
foreign goods.
Free trade, tariff for revenue only,
tariff for revenue with incidental pro-
lection, and now a competitive tariff,
with q view to giving protection to the
American producers, is the route that
the Democratic party has taken. The
development of this country's industries
and building up Of high living standards
for labor and all classes Of Americans,
under the theory of the protective
tariff advocated by the Republican
party, have been responsible for the
gradual evolution of the present Demo-
cratic tariff theory.
Industries in this country are no
longer confined to the States of New
England and the Middle Atlantic Coast
States which have been of the Republi-
can faith since the first years Of the
G. o. p. The South is becoming indus
trial year by year. The Middle West
and the Far West are developing more
and more as manufacturing centers.
In these great States Of the West and
of the South, where agriculture was
king in the past, manufacturing gives
employment to millions Of men and
women today and has enabled the
States to tap the great natural resources
they possess. Today the farmers of the
West and the South are demanding
protection for their products on a scale
that even the most "grasping" indus
trialistS have scarcely dared to demand
publicly in the past. They are de-
mapding the entire domestic market for
the American farmer.
Under these changing conditions it Is
not surprising that the attitude Of the
Democratic party on the tariff should
have suffered change-an advance.
The principle of protection has been
tried and found successful. Any politi-
cal party which seeks to upset it today
will lose support.
Senator Simmons has charged that
the Republicans have gone far afield
from the original protective idea and
now plan to exclude all foreign prod
ucts. The argument against the ex-
clusion Of foreign products has been
advanced many times by the Demo-
cratic opponents of Republican tariff
measures. It was put forward urgently
when the Fordney-McC umber bill was
before Congress in 1922. It was argued
that If the United States excluded for
eign goods by high tariff wall the for
eign debtor nations Of this country
could not be expected to pay their debts
or to rehabilitate themselves from the
terrible devastation Of war. Neverthe-
less, the imports Of goods into this
country under the law put through in
1922 have been great-so great as TO
make the demand for more ample pro-
lection in a number Of industries rea-
sonable. The foreign debts have in all
except one major instance been funded,
and foreign nations have shown power
to come back and by establishing tariffs
on imports to protect their own pro-
ducers.
One cause Of the great uproar today
regarding the Republican tariff bill is
the huge amount of American capital
that in recent years has been invested
in the industries of foreign countries.
It is enormous. The holders Of these
investments would throw into the dis
card, apparently. the high standards Of
living of American labor and reduce
employment and production so as to
obtain profits from their foreign hold
ings. Such a plan would be short
sighted, indeed, for the average Ameri-
can who does not hold foreign invest
ments.