1915] Cooperation in Matters Chemical 81 



the time, thought and finances of composite American 

 genius ? 



If these general considerations ever find full lodgment in 

 the public mind, there will be no difficulty in securing such 

 congressional action as will perfect the patent system and 

 legal procedures incident thereto, thus enabling it to serve 

 fully those high ends for which it was designed. 



Finally, in the light of the present situation, may we not 

 hope for more generous cooperation between Congress and 

 our chemical industries in solving those innate economic 

 difficulties whose temporary correction can be provided for 

 only through adequate tariff^ legislation ? I realize fully that 

 the trend of national opinion in recent years has been toward 

 a lowering of tarifl^s, in the conviction that industrial giants 

 were parading in the guise of swaddling clothes, but the pres- 

 ent unforeseeable situation, resulting in the cessation of im- 

 ports from the chemical industries of Germany, has shown to 

 all several strikingly weak links in our industrial chain. We 

 can not afford such. ^'National self-containedness" is a more 

 fitting slogan for us now than ''Tariff for revenue only." If 

 such links are to be strengthened, we must, as a people, meet 

 the expense by giving for a reasonable time that measure of 

 protection which will effect a union of capital and scientific 

 skill under no undue stress of unfair foreign interference. 



No other phase of our chemical industry illustrates so 

 well the point in mind as the synthetic dyestuff industry 

 about which so much discussion has turned during the past 

 year and concerning which even more active discussion is 

 destined to be furnished during the year just ahead of us. 

 Although the clamor over the shortage of synthetic dyestuffs 

 in the early period of the present war was shown by unde- 

 niable statistics to have had no basis in fact, nevertheless the 

 present complete cessation of shipments from Germany and 

 the constant inroads on the stocks in hand have now brought 

 about a real and serious shortage. 



True, the total annual value of our needs in this line, 

 some fourteen or fifteen million dollars, including duties 



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