Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1894-08-16

There are time-servers and there are
cuckoos. But of the whole lot President
Cleveland stands forth as the most con-
sistent."
The Situation rs Viewed by the New
York Tribune.
President Cleveland is informed by the
action of the Senate that his pet coal and
iron trusts will not be allowed to dictate
legislation to the destruction of iron and
coal interests in this country. On which
side in the controversy will the American
people be found? These trusts include
some powerful American capitalists. In
the Nova Scotia coal syndicate it is I'M
derstood that President Cleveland's
friend, Mr.. Whitney. and his secretary of
The iron companies are the Juragua and
the Sigma, with headquarters at Phila-
deiphIa, and the Spanish-American Iron
company. with headquarters at New
York, and these imported from the mines
in Cuba, of which they nave exclusive
control, 413,999 tons in the fiscal year
1893, the average cost being about 81. so.
All other imports of iron ore were 800
O1l tons, and the average cost about
NO. The few owners of the Cuba
mines include the Pennsylvania, Mary
land and Bethlehem steel companies, and
their interest in the success of Mr.. Cleve-
land as a free-trade champion has been
deep. But the mere threat of a change
of tariff has thrown two of these compa-
MES into bankruptcy during the last year,
and the imports of all iron ore nave been
only about 10000 tons, not a third as
much as in 1898.
Such are the interests for which the
President and the House are fighting,
against the coal and iron miners of New
York. New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Ohio.
Maryland, the Virginias, Tennessee and
Alabama: The American capitalists in
terested in the foreign Goa and iron mo-
nopolies may number about a hundred.
The coal and iron miners, against whom
Mr.. Cleveland fights, numbers more than
half a million. Quite irrespective of party
platforms, or the personal rivalries of
party leaders, this issue involves the hap
piness of more than half a million Amer
lean homes, and Mr.. Cleveland prefers to
serve the few rich capitalists, some of
them personal friends or large contrib
utors to his election, instead of the half
million wage-earners. Plainly, American
voters in such a struggle will not take
sides with President Cleveland or the
foreign monopolies.
either with the senator's who contrived
the bill of sale, for that was a robbery of
the people for the benefit Of the sugar
monopoly. When the Sugar trust reached
out after a profit of $30,OOO 900 or more,
and wanted to buy votes, it captured
SOWe WIN the CdSu pTOutS Oh u 'SDecQla-
ton secured against loss, but it cap
ured others with pledges that interests
necessary to their political future should
be protected. Of the fo~rty-three senators
bound by a compact to stand together,
how many sold themselves for political
benefits and how many for more ma
terial considerations no one can tell. The
Presidents letter placed him in the dis
graceful attitude of ~apologizing for the
sugar bargain, while pleading for the
coal and iron monopolies. But his sena-
torial opponents have bound themselves
to give S3O,OO0,OO0 or more to the sugar
monopoly as compensation for its con-
tributions to the Democratic campaign
fund.
Between the two the people will not
choose. Their choice is the defeat of
both. The Sugar trust, which owns the
Senate, and the coal and iron trusts,
which own the President, are alike fight
ing for private gain and to plumber the
people. The only complete answer to
these indecent demands is to kill the
pending bill and pass an act putting re-
tned as well as raw sugar on the free
list. Then the American miners of coal
and iron ore will not be impoverished for
the benefit of Messrs. Whitney, Lamont
and the Juragua capitalists, and the
Sugar trust will have to cut down its
exactions to meet the cost of refined
sugar imported. 1t will lose the one
favor which the Tribune urged Congress
in 1890 not to grant, but which it un-
wisely granted at the pleading of the in
dependent refiners of Philadelphia, who
were then pledging themselves to fight
the trust to the end. The only solution
which the people can desire or approve
is the defeat of the pending bill and the
removal of the duty on refined sugar.
and the closer Congress can come 10 that
the better will the voters be SO tjsfied.
The Chicago Herald as a Prophet.
In October, 1892, the Chicago Herald,
which is excellent Democratic authority,
strongly urged its readers to vote the
Democratic ticket because a change was
necessary in order that farmers might
receive an increased price for their wheat.
SO in the editorial columns of the Herald
during the campaign of 1892 was this adj
vice:
Vote for Cleveland and $1.25 for
wheat"
The people voted for Cleveland, but
the farmers have not seen the price of
wheat go up to $1.2J per bushel. The
Chicago Herald condemns itself as O
prophet, for in its issue of the 9th of
July, 1894, is printed the following dis
patch:
"Vandalia, ILL.,, July 5.-Wheat thresh-
ing is in full blast i'm Fayette county.
Six hundred bushels Of the new crop
Were brought TO market today and sold
at 46 cents per bushel. The berry is ex-
ceptionAlly fine and waioha ovar S;xty