Europe And Our Tariff

Having halted on the crooked road to ree trade and turned back to tlie broad lighway of protection, this coontry can ift'ord to give some study to the prol)able ■esulta of the democratie policy if the American people had not repudiated if. Free trade was a sort of universal benevolenee in which tbo United States was to give away its markets and trust to its commercial rivals to be equally benevolent. European nations Cursed the McKinley law and applauded the Wilson-Gorman law. Tbey took imniediate advantage of the latter to compete with American manufacturera in the home market. And did American manufacturera flnd European markets thrown open to them on more liberal terms? Did American farmers Bnd a better market for agricultural produets ? The multiplying signs tbat the United States is on the verge of a great tariff war with Europe give the answer. Since the passage of the Wilson liill there bas been a constant recital of tariff discriminations against the l 'nitcd States, sometiuies openly, as in the case of Spain, sometimes coyertly, as with Gsrmaïy ín its discrimination against American meat produets on alleged sanitary grounds. Xow it is stated tliat France anpears to be following in the lead of Germany in placing restrictioiïs and obstacles in the way of tlie importation of American food products, and, as in the case of Germany, this is a development of' the agrariau polio}1 and is intended to help the French farmer, although ostensibly put forward as a measure in the interest of public health. In a report to the state department f roua Koubaix, United States Commercial Agent Angelí warns the departinent of a movement put afoot by tlie agriculturalists of the department of the north to establish certain reforms in reference to duties on agricultura] ]roducts and other matters. Tlie minister of agriculture bas been memorialized upon the subject by a delegation. All these countries benefited by the Wilson duties at the expense of the American manufacturar and the American farmer, vet this is the return they propose to make. There is no reason why tliey should be blanied from their own standpoiut. If the United States is foolish enough to give away its markets, why not take them? While the McKinley act was so bitterly reviled there was no hint of European nations undertaking to shut out the United States, because the}' could not afford to enter upon a tariff war. That act contained a provisión whicli enabled this country to inake reasonable concessions without destroying its own trade and industries. This was a reciprocity provisión giving effect to the policy in which was embodied the genius of James G. Blaine. It was during the life of the McKinley act that many of the European restrictioiïs against American products were removed. And now the United States has a chance to see the difference between the Republican policy of protection and reciprocity and the democratie policy of free trade.