Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-10-25
THE CRY OF "STOP THIEF. y
Sugar, Salt, Whisky and Standard Oil
Fostered and Protected by Bour-
bon Influences.
Blaine's Scathing Arrangement of Presi-
dent Cleveland and His Free
Trade FsIIacies.

About 40, 900 or so, 900, enthusiastic Re-
publicans greeted James G. Blaine at
Goshen, Ind. Three acres of people
standing as thick as they possibly could
expanded their lungs and shouted for
Blaine and Harrison for several minutes,
until the orator of the occasion was in
troduced Mr. Blaine said:
Mr.. CHAIRMAN AND FELLOW CITIZENS
OF INDIANA: Stop thiefr' is CRY not
entirely confined to the criminal classes.
The counterpart of the trick is known
in political circles, and is especially
noticeable in the present course of the
Democratic party respecting trusts. In
President Cleveland's famous free
trade message of last December he
warned the country Of the dangers of
trusts and argued that they were the
offspring and result of the protective
system established by the Republican
party; at the same time, while assailing
in the wide sweep of his accusation al
most every industrial interest IN the
North, the President was particularly
careful to be quiet respecting the enor-
nous tariff on sugar. Out of S212. OOO.-
600 collected on importations of every
kind last year over 100000 came
from sugar alone, which is equivalent to
more than one-fourth of the customs
revenue for the year. When Mr.. Cleve-
land penned his message he knew that
one of the largest trusts ever organized
in the World-the Sugar Trust was in
full operation, and that if protective
tariff was helpful to that trust he was
giving it all the aid. both official and
personal, i'll his power. If the words
of his message are true he is him
self responsible for levying these count
less millions upon the pockets of all the
consumers of this country for an article
of universal use among the families of
the land. Cheers and cries of That's
So" Nor was Mr.. Cleveland's silence
the only boon which the Sugar Trust re-
ceived. When the Mills bill was under
consideration the President of the Sugar
Trust (Mr. Havemeyer), a well known
active Democrat Of New York, appeared
before the Ways and Means Committee,
and, according to the statement made in
open senate by Mr.. Allison of Iowa. OBJ
tanned such an arrangement of duty as
was equivalent to S6, 900, 900 in the
pockets Of the trust. [Sensation. If,
therefore, the price of sugar has been
duly advanced to the consumer the re-
sponsible parties, according to the Presi-
dents doctrine, are the President himself
and the Ways and Means Committee who
concocted the Mills bill in the interests
of that trust. | think, moreover, that
wherever you find one of the necessities
of life concerned and controlled by an
association of men for the purpose of
reaping undue profit you will find the
supporters Of Mr.. Cleveland at the head
of the movement.
MR.. BURT's SALT TRUST.
Sugar may, indeed, be accounted a
luxury, for we can exist without it; but
salt is one of the primal necessities of
life. We all know that Salt Trust ex-
lists in this country, and the man who is
now at he head of it, openly and avow-
eddy conducting it's affairs, is Wellington
r. Burt, the present Democratic candi-
date for Governor of Michigan. Mr.
Burt is earnestly advocating the removal
Of all duties on salt. This would seem
another form Of contradiction of the
Presidents theory that protection is the
first cause of all trusts; and it likewise
fully justifes the ground taken before
this canvass: that trusts exist more freely
in free trade country than in a pro-
tective country; more freely in England
than in the United States. I am for
tunatcly able to give you a piece of in
formation that has a strong bearing, I
think, on Mr.. Wellington r. Burt's Salt
Trust. | hold in my hand & copy of the
London Times of Sept. 5, from which
learn that they are forming "a Salt
Trust in England. The statement in
the Times, quoted from two English pa
pers locally interested, is this:
THE efforts to form the great Salt
Trust have succeeded beyond the most
sangnine expectations. All the
Cheshire salt-works have been provis-
lonally acquired by London syndicate
represented by Messrs. Fowler q Co.,
solicitors, Westminster, and negotiations
are proceeding favorably to purchase all
the less extensive works in Worcester
shire and Durham. The capital required
is fixed at e3, coo, 900 sterling, and has
been subscribed in advance many times
over. In consequence of the monopoly
thus created it is expected that the price
of common salt, now sold at IS Sd a ton,
will rise to 10s."
Let me ask you now if any man in In
diana believes that Mr.. Wellington r.
Burt's Salt Trust in the United States
and this great Salt Trust in England are
likely to prove rivals to each other? Do
you think they will cut down prices and
deprive each other of their respective
profits when the English trust points
out the way to increase the price of salt
four-fold at single jump? Do you
think Wellington R. Burt is the modest
man to say no to proposition to unite
in an agreement to advance salt 900 per
cent to the consumer in Great Britain
and the United States? Applause and
laughter.
Thus you see the danger, apparently
without remedy, that will follow an
international trust organized on the
basis of free trade. Alexander Hamil-
ton laid it down in the greatest financial
paper submitted by him to congress that
behind protective tariff domestic COM
petition would always insure reasonable
prices to the consumer. And | ask you
if our experience does not justify the
wisdom of our first and greatest Secre-
tary of the Treasury in all the years that
have elapsed since he wrote those sig
nificant words. Cheers. But if we
should reach the basis of free trade, the
Presidents great goal of prosperity, and
the manufacturers and holders of any
domestic article and the manufacturers
and holders of an article of the same
kind in any foreign country unite, where
is your relief-where is your defence?
TCheers and cries of ''Y ou' re right"
THE WHISKY MONOPOLY.
Well, gentlemen, these are not the
only Democratic trusts. We have now
spoken of one necessary luxury and one
absolute necessity, but there is another
trust welding more political influence
perhaps than both Of them. l refer to
the Whisky Trust. which has absolutely
changed the notifies and nolicY of the