The Daily Alaska empire. [volume] (Juneau, Alaska) 1926-1964, 1944-07-29
Mr.. LandOn on Tariffs
New York Times

New York Times
Recently in Chicago ALI M Landon made cour-
ageous appeal to his to revise their
traditional attitude on the tariff mo territorial
distribution of the world he declared "can equalize
opportunities for all nations. But can make the
differences less irritating and burdensome by facilitate
ing international trade. That not only lower
tariffs but also it that possible all
abandon artificial control of currencies
and exchange quota restrictions and imperial prefer
ence Our position the worlds leading creditor
nation-the worlds leading manufacturing nation--the
worlds leading merchant marine nation, make it inn
perative that we change tariff policies"
This is not the first time that the 1886 Re-
publican nominee for the Presidency has announced
this stand In speech at Kirksvile, Mo-, three
months ago he pointed out that international trade
is two-way street that can't be blocked at either
end without creating traffic jam. f" The assump-
ton that continued high tariff system in America
would bring prosperity to our people is wrong" He
went on to declare that protective tariff system was
justified when our industrial system was in its I'm
fancy" but that today it has become "a colossus
hungry for world markets g" The world is just
simply going to have to move in the direction OF
gradual increase of the freedom and ease of inter-
national trade if national or personal prosperity free
dom and honest goodwill are to prevail"
1t is earnestly to be hoped that other Republican
leaders will recognize the wisdom of these policies and
ebody them in this years Republican platform Just
as political and economic isoatonism go together,
go together The greatest single step that the world
could take toward international collaboration in the
economic field would be to remove all arbitrary
barriers to the free flow of trade The Republican
party will only put itself in self-contradictory posi-
ton if at the time it objects to arbitrary bar
riers to domestic business it continues to insist upon
arbitrary barriers to foreign business 1t cannot con-
sisently plead for free enterprise in the domestic field
while insisting barriers to such enterprise in the
foreign field.
No doubt there are many Republican leaders who
will object to making the change that Mr. Landon
advocates in the parys traditional tariff policy There
any great organization an immense resistance to
changing long standing policy after the
original justification for 1t has ceased But
such a change could hardly, at this time be called
radical for the party to make. AS long ago as
1901 President Mckinley advocated commercial re-
cprocity among nations. "A system which provides a
mutual exchange of commodities he said, sis mani
testify essential the continued and heahful growth
of our export trade We must not repose in fancied
security that forever sell everything and buy
little nothing"
Few things would do more to reassure our Allies
and the rest of the world regarding Americas role in
post war economic cooperation than the adoption by
both major parties of platform plank unequivocally
recommending the reduction of tariff barriers
and the removal of other restrictions the flow of
foreign trade