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Show OUR NATIONAL TRADEMARK. CONGRESSMAN SIMS has introduced a bill in the House proposing pro-posing to establish by authority of Congress a national trade mark for goods produced in the U. S. A. It is not a bad idea, at that, provided our American manufacturers will have any use for the insignia in-signia when the war is over. There is no doubt that goods stamped "Made in the U. S. A." will sell better in certaul quarters of the globe than those bearing the brand, "Made in Germany," but we should not permit ourselves to be carried away with this appealing sentiment. Business knows no sentiment and the scramble for commerce that will come during the reconstruction period is bound to usher in a reign of cut-throat competition that will play no favorites among the L nations. The bonds of sentiment and self-sacrifice that now hold nations na-tions together will be dissolved with the advent of peace ,and our friends at arms will immediately become our foes in commerce. That i America now professes, and is generally accepted, to be the champion of all deserving nations is no guarantee that she will gain a fair share of the world's commerce without making a fight for it. It is foolish to calculate on holding a dollar's worth of international trade on such a flimsy basis. Existing friendships will soon be forgotten when the battleflags are furled and the competition for commanding commercial position will be the fiercest in all history. Besides, it is just barely possible that the nations now friendly to us will feel that we have been well paid for our services. All of Which is more or less of a speculation, but of this one thing we are certain : Unless our tariff law is sensibly revised, so as to secure se-cure to American trade the protection it will need, our chief concern as to national trade marks will be how to meet the competition of foreign brands right here at home. The probabilities are, unless the Administration radically changes its course, that the only national trade mark we will sport will be a patch on the seat of our pants similar in design to that adopted of necessity by the American people during the Cleveland administration. . Thrift! She wants but little furbelow, nor wants that little long. Wall Street Journal. Remember, if you are careless about observing meatless day now, every day'll be Tuesday by and by. Kansas City Star. |