Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-04-17
sHERMAN,s SHAM.
Senator George Exposes the Sham OF
the Sherman Bill.

Senator George made strong and elo-
quent speech against Senator Sher- |
mans bill which professed to be aimed
at trusts. The speech throughout ex-
poses the sham pretense, and shows the
impracticability of the measure while
the leading cause Of the trusts Is to re-
main. undisturbed. The following ex-
tract we take from the speech:
Mr.. President, have proven this bill
to be worthless even II 1t be constitu-
tional. These trusts and combinations
are great wrongs to the people. They
have invaded many of the most impor-
tant branches of business. They oper-
ate with q double edged sword. They
increase beyond reason the cost Of the
necessaries of life and business, and
they decrease the cost of the raw ma
terial, the farm products Of the coun-
try. They regulate prices at their will,
depress the price of what they buy and
increase the price of what they sell.
They aggregate to themselves great,
enormous wealth by extortion which
makes the people poor. Then making
this extorted wealth the means of fur
ther extortion from their unfortunate
victims, the people of the United
States, they pursue unmolested, unre-
strained by law, their ceasless round of
peculation under the law, till they are
fast producing that condition in cur
people In which the great mass Of them
are the servitors of those who have
this aggregated wealth at their COM
mand.
The people see this and they are
restless and discontente1. The farm
ers especially have been the victims of
this and other policies which have
brought them to the verge of ruin.
Debts and mortgages accumulate. The
home, the farm, the workshop are be-
coming the properties by encumbran-
ces of lordly creditors, who by methods
Encouraged and fostered by law in some
instances and permitted by law in
Others, have extorted their ill-gotten
gains from the poor and then used the
money thus obtained to complete the
ruin Of the people. They ask us for re-
dress. They plead for security against
these wrongs. What is offered them
In this bill, which, even if it be consti-
tutional, is, as have shown 1t to be,
utterly worthless. 1t will aggravate
rather than diminish the evils.
Speaking of Legislation to suppress
trusts, on August IA, 1888, Mr.. Sher.
man said:
"Whether such legislation can be en-
grated in our peculiar system by the
national authority there is some doubt
Ifit can be done at all it must 5e done
upon tariff bill or revenue bill. I d.
not see in what other way it can b.
DONE"
That, sir, is exactly my position
There is no other way under the con
stitution.
And to show what he meant by leg
islation on tariff bill, the same grea
Senator on January 2, 1888, comment
ing on passage in President Cleve
lands message recommending lowe
duties to prevent trusts, said:
"Where such combinations to pre-
vent a reduction of price by fair con-
petion exist I agree that they may an
lought to be met by reduction l
duty"
But that distinguished Senator, an
the great committee on finance VIII
have produced this bill, believe in hig
duties, in protective duties, in eve
prohibitive duties. They are wedde
to the conviction that the home marks
Is the best market, and that the Amer
can manufacturer is entitled to thi
, American market as against the worlt
3 They are unwilling to give up thi
T theory. Notwithstanding they sc
r "that combinations to prevent redut
tion of price by fair competition do e.
!, ist," and that q fair and effectual iva
! to meet this is by a reduction of duty,
y they cannot make up their minds to
= this. So, contrary to the views e.
. pressed, as above quoted, by Mr.. She
man, they have sought another powt
+ in the constitution to suppress trusts
But they have sought in vain, as nj
Sherman said they would. They see
to make two inconsistent, even repe
|. liant, things coexist and harmonic, t
o wit: A high protective tariff, whie
shuts out foreign competition, and IL
. vain prohibition, that the protects
!, parties shall not avail themselves Of Il
!. advantage thus given them. Th'
9 threw the coveted sop to the hung
70 and greedy Cerberus, and then say
n the dog: "You must eat it."
}. The attempt to do this must fail. Su
Is cess is impossible. You can no mo
l. make moral contradictory laws coales
n and work in harmony than you c'
construct system dependent on co
Trajectory physical and mathematie
laws. The power of Congress is IL
potent to reconcile and harmonize tru
and error. 1t is powerless also TO ma
:, truth error, or to make error truth. '
le cannot enact that the three angles OF
a triangle shall be more or less than ty
,f right angles. We cannot repeal Z
d law of gravity. We cannot enact th
/ vice shall be virtue, that falsehood sh
- be truth. We cannot change hum
: nature. We cannot by our tariff la
70 administer to and stimulate the gre
IS of men, and then, without removi
10 the stimulant, enact successfully, as
is attempted by this bill, that this gre
* shall be generosity and self-abnegatic
BY our tariff laws we hold out to
owners of the protected industries t
offer of Al per cent. advantage in pri
n We tell them they are entitled to
- - that it is right and just. But by Il
- bill we say to them, you must not ia
Y the offer.
" OF course, Mr.. President. /
90 framed with these utterly contradict
lis and irreconcilable ends will be ineff
70 lent; the miserable sham I iave sho'
y this to be.
Eupepsy.
This is what you ought to have,