The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1888-03-03
THE TARIFF AND TRUSTS.
Badger State Banner

We congratulate the admlnIstra-
ton organ down the street for aban-
doning the teachings Of the free trad
ers and coming into the sunlight of
common sense, and declaring, as it
did last week, that the tariff is not
the cause of the trusts. We have
no doubt it has been aided in reach
ing this more intelligent conclusion by
the careful reading it has given the
BANNER columns in the past We
admire it courage for breaking away
from old associations and party
teaching and asserting its convic-
tons, even though it does give the
lie to the message of its party's saw
Tor. The truth which it asserted last
week that trusts are not the result of
high tariff shows q broadening Of its
mind, an intelligence, and a desire to
be more fair than it has been in the
past, and, to prove this, we will quote
from its columns.
In its issue of Sept. 90, 1887, we
find an article on "Protection" cop
led from the Milwaukee Journal, and
endorsed as "a brief but truthful ex-
preston of protection" which says,
among other things: at breeds com
binations among capitalists to rob
the people" Again, on Nov. /, 1887,
the Journal copies an article from the
Neillsville Republican and Press on
Protection and its results" in which
we find the following: "These monop-
olies which have been made fabul-
ously rich by impoverishing the agri-
culturists and laborers are to-day form
ing trusts" As..the Journal did not
object to this sentence it is but fair to
presume that it endorsed it.
Again, the Journal says: mo free
trader ever claimed that trusts are the
results of a high tariff" We are sorry
that the free trade editor of the Journal
has been SO busy reading the litera-
ture sent out by the Golden club
that he has not had time to look
over his free trade exchanges, for if
he had done so he never would have
made such a statement. He says
that no proof can be produced to
show that trusts are result of high
tariff Here we think the Journal Is
correct, but had its free trade editor
read the free trade papers he would
have found that they claim that the
high tariff is responsible for the
trusts, and for his benefit we will
make few quotations.
The Chicago Ne,os says that it has
frequently shown that the merciless
and criminal coal trust, which has its
ramiications throughout the country,
is mainly buttressed by the enormous
tariff tax"
SAYS the La Crosse Chronicle:
TRUSTS are only tariff whelps that
have got their growth, and wherever
you find trusts you will find them
the matured whelps Of legislative fav-
ortism to monopoly"
The New York World, the leading
Democratic paper of the country, en-
dorses the statement of J. Sterling
Morton, of Nebraska, that sugar
trusts, coal and oil trusts would be
unknown if the war tariff were abol-
ished.n
Other quotations might be made,
but these are enough to show the
tendency of the free trade press
There is no doubt that trusts can ex-
ist just as easily under free trade sys-
tenn as under protective system. In
fact we have positive proof that the
levying of tariff tax on an article
has nothing to de with the formation
of a trust, as a combination can be
formed just as easily on an article
upon which no duty is levied Take
for instance the article Of petroleum,
which is on the free list, yet it forms
basis for one of the most gigantic com
binations the country has ever known.
Then the much talked of coal trust
can hardly be laid to evil results from
the tariff laws, as hard coal on which
combinations get in their most deadly
work, is on the free list, while the
tariff on imported soft coal is only
% cents per ton, which certainly does
not add the So or 81 per ton extra
charged for coal Admitting every
thing that the free traders say about
the tariff as regards the price of coal
and we do not see where the duty can
increase the price of soft coal over -
cents, while it cannot effect the price
of hard coal, hence there must be
other causes than the tariff at work
which allow these combinations to
flourish
A Final Denial
New York, Feb. 26.-The Worlds