Chapter 511 Three Major Proposals
The three items that made up Alton Parker's first State of the Union address since he took office, namely antitrust laws, racial subdivision laws, and finally tariffs, are fair to say that none of them can take care of all the citizens of the country. But this is true of the entire State of the Union address, especially the last item on tariffs.
For a long time, especially when the Republicans were in power, it has been customary to raise tariffs to allow domestic industry to grow and develop, but not everyone agrees with this.
It is the 20th century now, and the economic foundations of the North and South of the United States are not as tense as they were before the Civil War, but there has been no major change either. The problems are not as acute, but they have not disappeared either.
For citizens in the South and the Midwest, lowering tariffs is good. At least it gives them more choices when selling agricultural and livestock products. As for whether industrial enterprises can withstand the impact of foreign industrial products, it’s none of my business.
Even Sheffield supported the decision to lower tariffs, even though the United Company had become a powerful presence in the domestic industrial complex and normally opposed tariff reductions.
The slave owners naturally have their own considerations. As a large enterprise in the conglomerate model, the united company's ability to resist shocks is definitely much stronger than other enterprises. It can use the means of killing with a borrowed knife and join forces with foreign companies to strangle domestic competitors.
This was certainly disadvantageous to the country, but not necessarily to the United Company. Between the interests of national industry and his own company, Sheffield decisively chose the interests of his own company.
"Didn't you say that this kind of behavior of joining forces with foreign companies to deal with domestic companies is a very low-end method, called compradorism?" Annie also knew that there was a debate over tariff adjustments in Washington, and the Democratic Party's reduction of tariffs had the support of many people in the Midwest and the South.
"The method is really low-end, but what they do is called compradorism, and what I do is called improving competitiveness and upgrading the industry." Sheffield lied to his wife without blushing, "It's just that the process of doing things is somewhat similar."
"What's the difference?" Anne asked confusedly. She felt her husband should have an answer.
"Actually, there is no difference." Sheffield gave a very straightforward answer. "It's just a trick to deceive ordinary citizens. Anyway, my company is stronger than most Yankee companies. If they die, the market will be vacant."
Of course, there are differences. Sheffield is the king of emerging industries in the United States. It is its duty to promote industrial upgrading. Any social transformation will be painful. We cannot stop doing it just because someone opposes it. At this time, the industrial population needs to play the role of the master of the country and grit their teeth and make sacrifices.
Wouldn’t it be a good thing if the bankruptcy and difficulties of some old industries could be exchanged for the promotion of new technologies?
If Sheffield used United Company to conquer other companies, the responsibility for squeezing out other companies would be very clear: United Company itself. In this way, United Company might become the public enemy of the United States.
But lowering tariffs is different. Bringing in some foreign companies to compete with you can only mean that you are incompetent. Look at how the United Company is doing well. With these foreign companies attracting hatred, Sheffield is much more relaxed.
It sounds bad to say it out loud, just like the Indian style forced demolition, where thugs from the Peace Church and Sikhs are hired to massacre the village. This way, there is no psychological burden, after all, it is not done by the government itself, and secondly, these pagans will definitely not show mercy and leave anyone alive. At that time, the local government can simply announce that the village has disappeared due to a natural disaster, and then nationalize the land, which is completely killing two birds with one stone. Unfortunately, with the advancement of technology, in the 21st century, the Indian government no longer dares to do this, and can only use the National Guard when forced demolition occurs.
Although it should not be over-publicized, this is a good idea, and it fits Sheffield's idea of having a good reputation but also wanting to kill its opponents. Therefore, tariffs must be lowered, and foreign companies must be united to reap the benefits in the country, so that Sheffield can reap the benefits while foreign companies bear the responsibilities. It seems perfect when you think about it.
These minor details could not be explained to Anne. Explaining them would lead to the following question: how would the United Company deal with these foreign capitals? Sheffield could not tell his wife that Europe would fight and the threat of foreign capital would disappear on its own.
Alton Parker's first State of the Union address after taking office reflected his ruling tendencies. When the news came out of Washington, it quickly caused an uproar, and many people opposed this State of the Union address. It can be said that no part of it was uncontroversial, and every part was full of controversy.
There are many reasons for the controversy. Many companies expect Alton Parker to not cause trouble for big companies like President Roosevelt did after he takes office. Now Alton Parker openly says that the implementation of antitrust laws makes sense and sings praises for it, which greatly disappoints many companies.
As for the subdivision bill that defines mixed-race groups, opponents also have various reasons. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People said that this was promoted by some southern forces to facilitate the division of the influence of the black community.
It seems that black people are not without intelligence. To be honest, Sheffield is planning to do just that. Southern states have two sets of standards. One is the one-drop principle, led by Virginia. As long as one has black blood, no matter how much, they are considered black. The other is the Texas standard, which adds the standard of mixed-race groups. Slave owners naturally want to promote the definition of hometown.
After causing controversy, Sheffield called the respected Texas Senator Martin Luther King II, and then Martin Luther King III came forward to explain his views on the new bill, saying that this was not a bad thing, but a very good thing. Black people should live independently in the United States, instead of feeling that they were being persecuted and always thinking that it was a good thing for themselves.
"If I were to look at it, the benefit of this bill is that it can build a bridge of communication between the black and white communities. Although I am black, it is undeniable that there is still a huge gap between the social skills of black people and white people. It is very frustrating to attribute the current difficulties to social injustice without making any efforts before mastering survival skills." Martin Luther King II spoke in the Texas Legislature, "For someone like Mr. Du Bois, no one would humiliate him because of his skin color. If we black people can be like Mr. Du Bois, I believe no one will humiliate us."
"The most important thing is that we should regard the suffering in front of us as a tempering to change the stereotypes of white people. The process may not be smooth, but I believe it can be achieved in the end. This is my dream!"
After Martin Luther King II finished speaking, the Texas Congress burst into prolonged applause. The speaker of the Texas Congress publicly stated, "In the entire United States, if we divide them into two types, one is black people, and the other is black people in Texas. Our black people are also firm and courageous, and have good qualities. They dress well and create wealth through their own labor. Just like our Lone Star State, they are also an inseparable part of us."
"I remember last year's statistics, it seems that black people in Texas account for less than 2%." Sheffield said this without any context while looking at the newspaper report on Martin Luther King II.
"It's like this. The proportion of blacks has been declining in recent years, mainly because of the increase in illegal immigrants." Anne withdrew her gaze from Evelyn and answered her husband's question.
"Don't say that. They are all legal immigrants. They have been approved by Arlington!" Sheffield put down the newspaper and corrected calmly, "Just like us in Texas, the races are so harmonious. I am also promoting advanced experience to the whole country. Unfortunately, the people of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People don't appreciate it. The Yankees are also in the same boat with them, and a bunch of foreigners are also joining in the fun. It's our own country's own affairs. How can these bastards oppose it?"
The foreigners Sheffield mentioned were naturally from Latin America, because the definition of mixed-race people is Latino. Some countries believe that this is discrimination against Latin American countries by the United States.
Even the slave owners did not expect that this would become a diplomatic issue and cause surprise among friendly countries. Texas has been divided in this way for many years and there is no problem at all.
Anne couldn't help but smile. He didn't understand diplomatic issues, but she felt that some foreign protests could not change anything. She wanted to speak up to persuade him, but her husband dissuaded her from the idea.
"Just call them Latins. Our country cannot defeat Britain, France, Germany, and Russia. How dare the remaining cesspool countries do anything to our country?" Sheffield clenched his teeth and sneered, "It is originally a country of mixed races. They have done what they did, and they can't stand a few words? They also want to interfere in the internal affairs of the United States? Brazil also calls itself a white country. Do you think I am color blind? Even if you call Gail and McHale, they are mostly mixed race."
Anne was no longer surprised by her husband's extensive knowledge of history and modern times. She frowned and said, "Actually, these two issues are not a big problem. The antitrust law and the racial subdivision bill are fine. The main issue is tariffs. This is the big issue that the two parties are arguing about. The Republican Party has many supporters who oppose lowering tariffs. Should we slow down the container manufacturing and dock reconstruction for now?"
"No, just go to Gail for this matter." Sheffield said confidently, "Some Republican congressmen respect Gail very much. I will send him a telegram later. With the current number of seats in Congress, we can ignore the opinions of the Republicans, but in order to create an atmosphere of unity, it is better to talk about it."
(End of this chapter)
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