Problems in American Democracy Part 53

6. Discuss the home market argument.

7. What can be said for and against the wages argument?

8. What is the vested interests argument?

9. What effect did the World War have upon the anti-dumping argument?

10. What is the military or self-sufficiency argument?

11. How did the war affect the infant industries argument?

12. Why was there a trend toward protection after the World War?

13. What is the nature and purpose of the United States Tariff Commission?

REQUIRED READINGS

1. Williamson, _Readings in American Democracy_, chapter xxix.

Or all of the following:

2. Carver, _Elementary Economics_, chapter xxvii.

3. Fetter, _Modern Economic Problems_, chapter xv.

4. Seager, _Principles of Economics_, chapter xxii.

5. Thompson, _Elementary Economics_, chapter xix.

QUESTIONS ON THE REQUIRED READINGS

1. What is the extent of the protective tariff throughout the world?

(Fetter, page 218.)

2. Distinguish between a specific and an ad valorem duty. (Fetter, pages 219-220.)

3. What is meant by a free list? (Fetter, pages 220-221.)

4. What is the fundamental proposition of the free trader? (Carver, page 244; Thompson, pages 262-263.)

5. What is the "no buying no selling" argument? (Thompson, page 263.)

6. What is the balance-of-trade argument? (Carver, page 245.)

7. What is the origin of the present tariff system? (Seager, pages 394-395.)

8. What is the political argument in tariff discussions? (Seager, page 397.)

9. What is the relation of tariff to political corruption? (Seager, page 405.)

10. What was the character of the Payne-Aldrich tariff of 1909?

(Fetter, pages 233-234.)

11. What was the character of the Underwood tariff of 1913? (Fetter, pages 234-236.)

TOPICS FOR INVESTIGATION AND REPORT

I

1. The home market argument with reference to conditions in your section.

2. The infant industries argument with reference to conditions in your section.

3. Commodities essential to the prosperity of your community which are imported from abroad.

4. The att.i.tude of your section of the country toward the tariff. Has this att.i.tude changed in the past fifty years?

5. Write to your Representative in Congress for his opinion on the need of a "fixed tariff policy."

6. Interview several friendly business men on their att.i.tude toward the tariff.

7. Interview a member of the Democratic party upon the att.i.tude of his party toward the tariff.

8. Interview a member of the Republican party upon the att.i.tude of his party toward the tariff.

II

9. The principle of international trade. (Taussig, _Principles of Economics_, vol. 1, chapter x.x.xiv; Fetter, _Modern Economic Problems_, chapter xiii.)

10. The gain from international trade. (Taussig, _Principles of Economics_, vol. 1, chapter x.x.xv.)

11. The infant industries argument as applied to American industries.

(Taussig, _Tariff History of the United States_, Part 1, chapter i.)

12. The Civil War tariff. (Taussig, _Tariff History of the United States_. Consult also any economic history of the United States, or any standard text on economics.)

13. Tariff administration. (_Cyclopedia of American Government_.)

14. Political aspects of the tariff. (Tarbell, _The Tariff in Our Times_, chapter xii.)

15. The history of any important tariff since the Civil War. (Consult Taussig, _Tariff History of the United States_; Fetter, _Modern Economic Problems_, chapter xv; any standard work on the economic history of the United States; or any encyclopedia under "Tariff.")

16. The tariff in Germany. (Ashley, _Modern Tariff History_, part i.)