The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1930-08-04
Editorial Comment
The World War of 1880
tSt. Paul. Dispatch)

War did not end with the Treaty of Versailles ,,G ,bo
.,,ns OF Nations. 1t merely took on another form. as
and ornaments. p LAC" "e"ponS
~ aar'li barriers take the place of trenches and ~fortifica-
t t.Ui ImDargoes and import bans substitute for bat
80 80. neCai!atory duties Supplant military drives and
SH Hou attackS. ships are no longer required to enforce
contrahend Mavai supremacy is not necessary to stop
coltraoano ano TO Starve nations into submission. Scrans
OF paper again have come into vogue. "'
livery oay produces some new governmental order some
hlgner import duty, some fresh ban on trade some
restriction on commerce with neighboring nations t :bie
iengeS are issued to trade relations that in the dave of
guns ana gas ana mailed fists would have been considered
", y u noStnlty, calling for immediate mobilization.
~ Aaru1 and Trade War of 1880 is now at similar
s.age 10 the Military War of 1914, in these closing DAYS
=. July. Leading nations have become involved in corr
petNlve struggle for higher and higher tariff walls, for
Digger ana digger trade barriers, for stronger and stronger
and arming for a fight is proclaimed necessary for na.
u o. oeIense. SO similar to the military excuses before
is g. Always the other fellow is the aggressor.
All around the world. boundaries are bristline with new
taii1id duties. Each nation, while aiming to bar out goods
Oh oener nations, expects somehow to sell to them its
own surplus OF products. In one hand it brandisres
menaclngly a tariff decree and in the other it holds out
an aiiurlng display of wares for sale. While the producer
and the manufacturer stand guard at the gates. the
salesman salles forth on his difficult conciliatorv task
by Its general election of Monday. Canada now Joins
She ranks OF the aggressive tariff allies. taking its place
alongside OF the United States, France, Germany, Italy
ana q swarm of smaller countries. Only one great power
Is left standing neutral. England still holds out for
modities for revenue purposes. Even there, the trend
toward tarl1i barriers is growing. and may be stimulated
~ AS"ui1o " IuO WEEKS pOLClcal campaign in. Canada
where tariff retaliation was the successful issue.
Inc 1000 mile border between United States and Cam
aoa, u~nfortlfied for one hundred years, will soon be diff
tcut Tor commerce to cross. In 1929. Canada was the
pest customer the United States had, and in return this
country bought extensively over the border.
central European countries are building economic block
ades against each other and particularly against America.
france has shut out imports of foodstuffs, notably wheat,
untll price OF flour has risen appreciably. Mussolini is
trying to bar American durum wheat, the Italian favorite
ior macaroni. Germany begs and borrows American dol
lars. but has a hundred per cent tariff against many
American products. notably wheat.
HIS name shall be 1shmael. His hand will be against
every man and every mans hand against him. And he
snall dwell In the presence of his brethren"
The controversy over who started this World War of
1880 Will be endless and undecided. Accusing fingers
are being pointed at the United States for its Hawley-
Smoot tariff bill as inaugurating the conflict. The in
dustrlal interests who made agriculture's plea for eco
nomic equality an excuse for b~enefitng themselves retort
with records of earlier European increases.
The 1923 American college professors and theoretical
economists who only three months ago valantly pro-
Claimed the doctrine that the time has come to put an
end to increase in tariffs and to move in the opposite
direction" are for the moment pitifuly small voices
CRYING IN a wilderness Of higher. trade barriers.
The world has gone to war again in 1880.