Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1892-09-08

selves. 1t could refuse them permlSS-
ion to sue and be sued as a public Trust,
but it could not forbid them doing
business as Il private Trust and dividing
their profits as they pleased.
The distinction between public
Trust, chartered by a state, and pri-
vate Trust unknown to the law. must
be kept sharplyin mind. 1t is only the
public Trusts, the chartered Trusts,
that the people hear about, that are
mentioned in the newspapers. Trusts.
particularly tariff Trusts, "are mainly
private affairs which no legislation
can reach, and without which the tariff
would be powerless to protect. They
are a necessity for protection. There
can he no protection when there is
either foreign or domestic competition.
The duty kills the foreign competition.
the Trust kills the domestic competi-
ton; and without both the duty and
the trust not fifty in the United States
could be protected.
When a constituent of Congressman
Dawes found an emery mine on his
Massachusetts farm-the only emery
mine in the country-Mr. Dawes had
a duty of % per cent. put on foreign
emery. This duty protected. But
when aman in Nebraska found another
emery mine on his Nebraska farm, the
duty no longer protected either, until
they agreed not to compete and to di-
vide the extra profit. This agreement
was private Trust-the kind that Mi.
Blaine says our Trusts mainly area
private affair. If, in the course of
time, other men had discovered emery
mines each one would have had to join
the Trust or the protection would have
disappeared. If the number had in
creased to 10000 the Trust would have
been impossible. and the duty would
not have been a tax because it nc
longer protected any one. Competition
kills Protection. The tariff duty might
remain on the statute book. but il
would have no force.
If there were only one wool-growel
in the United States, the duty on WOO
F would protect him. He could add the
duty and a part of the freight to thu
foreign price. When another wen
into the business and competed will
him. the competition would reduce thu
price and destroy the Protection. II
be protected the two wool-grower
must form private Trust to destro,
the competition, and agree upon /;
selling price. With over one million
farmers growing wool and competing
sharply, the domestic market pric
, would fall to the lowest profit poin
anywhere in the country-below evel
the price abroad if it could be produces
F anywhere in the Union at less cost
which it can.
So long as the Trust to destroy com
petition remained, so long they woul
be protected; but the moment the Trus
was broken the protection must disal
, pear.
t The farmer has been beguiled wit
2 the idea that it was the duty and til
| duty only that protected. He has see
f a duty OF S6.72 on pig-iron add S6.72
: the price of the domestic product; c
e 81 cents on refined sugar (of which W
e have never imported pound for fan
: lily use) add 81 cents to the pric
charged at the refinery, and he suppose
e that it was the duty alone. He kne
Y nothing of the private Trust benin
the duty, without which the duty coul
= not protect, and to organize which til
0 duty was levied.
Every protective duty is levied fl
: the special object Of forming privat
t Trust. To every industry Congress
r says: I'VE will levy the duty; 70
!. must form the Trust. 1t must be
t private Trust. You must divide u
!. your spoil among yourselves to SUI
t yourselves. You must not organize
: public Trust and sell to outsiders share
i in your right to rob the p,7b1ic, for the
: might sue you in the courts and comp
r our judges to divide your thefts fair
among the thieves. That would be il
= decent. You are thieves and robber
r and we can only provide you with a
: opportunity to steal-we cannot licens
:, you to steal and divide the stolen goot
r among you. If we levy the duty yo
a must do the rest"
II Congress, to protect over millio
). wool-growers, imposes duty of
Q cents on foreign grease wool, of % CEN
s on washed, of 80 cents on secures
: The old duty was 10, 20 and 80 CEN
!, per pound. It leaves the farmers 81
: do the rest" What have they done
; Anything2 Hayethey formed a Trust