Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1894-08-28

4
protection, and denouncing trusts, and then
giving protection to the trusts, was a Do
sition which could be defended by nobody.
| The Republican party, which believes in
protection, couli, if it saw fit, defend even
protection to a trust. because the only way
IN which the trust could be overcome in
this country en- the plane of cheapness
would be by trust abroad, and the mere
breaking down of trust here, for the pur-
pose of putting ourselves under the in
fluence aad control of trust abroad, the
breaking down of a trust that we can con-
troll for the purpose or establishing trust
that we cannot control, would be the height
| of human folly. But. nevertheless, il that
| diferential was not necessary TO pre,erye
the manufacture in this country, it ought
| not to stay there for one moment
Isa Fa'sehood.
When the bill got to the Senate it met the
| fate that might have been expected. The
Senate voted to put on to it an amendment
| authorizing the continuance of the bounty
| which had already been granted under the
Mckinley act, and which was promised to
the people of the country for ten years
This the Democrats refused TO adopt, so
| their ..popgun" bill and all the rest of the
"popgun" bills slice p the sleep 10 which they
knew they would rest The only valid act
which they have performed with regard to
the trusts has been to furnish them with
almost infinite wealth, for Mr.. Wilson HIM
self, on the floor of the House, gave figures
| which showed that in all probability the
bill for which he was then voting, and for
which he was demanding votes, and which
he finally carried, will give to the Sugar
Trust Sl2 900, 900 this very year outside the
protection to refining. 1t seems incredible
that men, after dong such an act as that,
should turn around and proceed to make
loud-voicad talk about trusts and their de-
sire for their destruction.
1t has already been charged that the Nc
kinley bill gave The sugar Interests one
half cent pound protection, and there
fore, as this bill gives but one-fifth, we Re-
publicans have no right to comment. There
| are two answers to this, both of fact, upon
which the people could ponder. In the first
place, the Sugar Trust in 1890 did not con-
troll. There were large retineries in Phil
adelphia owned by Harrison and by Knight
and afterwards Spreckles, who held the
Pacific coast, came over to Philadelphia
and built the best refinery in the world,
and in full antagohism to the Trust. All
these properties are now owned by the
Trust, which controls the production. A
protection which was Unsuitable where
| there was competition may be utterly I'M
justifiable where there is none. And espe
| cially is it upjustifable when given by a
party to trust while pretending to be
against both trusts and protection, too.
The other fact that the claim that the
present duty is one-half the old IS a false
hood, which can be proved to be such. One
eighth of a cent is 1875 one-hundreths
Forty per cent. on l05 pounds of raw sugar
necessary to make 100 pounds of refined at
three cents pound is .25 cents. Forty per
cent on refined sugar at four cents is 1S0
d ference, WHICH is protection of 81 one
hundreths. Add to this the value of the
| syrup which comes out of the raw in
refining, and the refiner gets practically so
one-hundreths. So that this bill, with its
protection open and its protection concealed
equals the Mckinley bill, and is given to
trusts as protection not when the trust is
merely petitor, but when it is sole
owner of all production.
@.: [ In a Sensible Way.
But you say, what is the remedy for
all tbis2 If the bill has been passed, what
do you propose to do in regard to it," In
the first place, it is necessary that this
country should be KEEP. where it is until
something better can be done. 1t is neces-
sary that the people should interpose, just
as they are surely going to interpose, and
see that the House of Representatives is in
such hands that neither its incompete nty
nor the incompetency of the Senate shall
be source of difficulty and of trouble. OF
course, as long as the Presidency remain 8
in Democratic control, no steps can be
taken to rectify what has been wrongfully
done in the Senate bill. And, on the other
hand, the future attacks of such destroyers
as Mills and Wilson may be warded off an d
the country may have the opportunity to
examine the workings of the bill to see pre-
cisely what its defects are and then accom-
plish whatever remedy is needful to
bring the country back to the state of
prosperity which it WAS in when this I'M
fortunate black cloud of Democratic con-
troll passed over it. Tariff is business, and
must be treated in a sensible business way.
| cannot refrain from single word upon
a subject which has been perhaps familiar
to YOU all, but which has passed out of
sight within the last few years. You will
remember that, at the close of the Fifty
first Congress- the last of which the Repub-
licans were in control, the country was
flooded with outcries and denunciations re-
lating to the expenditures of the country.
The country was then prosperous, capable
of spending all the money that it needed for
its own conve nence, for the doing of justice
and for the protection of itself on sea and
land. 1t was declared that the Fifty-first
Congress, 'the billion dollar Congress" had
ruined the country, had been unfaithful to
its trust, and, above all, had shown itself
unable to restrain the attacks made upon
the United States treasury.
| need not tell ) gu how the next House of
r representatives., under the lead of Judge
Holman, exceeded the expenditures of the
Congress which they derided by something
over fifty millions OF dollars. But desire
to point out to you the stranger fact that
at time when the revenues of the country
are decreasing, when it has been already
nee sssary to put out $50, 000,0 600 of interest
bearing bonds, the expenditures of the fret
session of the Fifty-tbird Congress, with
both houses under Democratic rule, have
exceeded the expenditures of the first ses-
sion of the Fifty-first Congress by twenty
seven million dollars.