The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1896-10-28

sens Recognizing These Facts should
Vote for Palmer and Buckner. the Cam
didstss of the Trust-opposing National
Democracy.
Mr.. Mckinley does not seem to be
more successful than Mr.. Bryan In get
ting at the truth about the trusts, says
the Boston Herald. To the free silver
candidate all corporations appear to be
equally odious. and a railroad company
falls under the ban as constituencies
monopoly. no less than the American
Sugar Refining company. This sort OF
treatment serves. OF course. to make
the trusts respectable, and to confound
the right of combination for legitimate
business purposes with the conduct OF
a conspiracy in restraint Of trade. Mr..
Mckinley may have q clearer percep-
ton Of what trusts really are. but he
n hopelessly wrong about the condi-
tons that favor their creation. He said
the other day that the protective sys-
TEN opposed trusts and combinations
to control markets and prices to the in
Jury of the people. because II Is opposed
to free trade. which is the parent Of
trusts. This Is, to say the least, an
extraordinary inversion of the accept
ed theory about trust formation. and
one about which some OF the chief
members of Mr.. McKinley's party are
by no means in accord with him. II.
as president, he expects to abate the
trust evil by giving the country a
larger dose OF protection. he will find
himself opposed to the expressed opin-
ions Of men and newspapers who are
regarded as authorities on matters of
Republican policy.
Senator Sherman's position on this
subject Is pretty well known, and the
New York Tribune has, at various
times. taken pains to show that the
protectionist who. under cover OF high
import duties, lent himself to the crea-
ton Of monopoly, was no true Repub-
1ican. The Tribune has been frank
enough to recognize the existence of
the steel rail makers combination, of
that of the wire and cut nail makers
and Of the makers of bar iron, as well
as of q trust in the manufacture of
sugar, leather and whisky. 1t has also
admitted that many other concerns
are doing the same sort Of thing, COM
polling customers to pay unnatural
prices for products, stopping produce
ton, and denying employment TO
American workers" 1t deplores all
this an an abuse of the security against
foreign competition afforded by high
protective duties-a manifest falling
away from its ideal of full employ
ment for labor and products, cheapened
by free and natural home competi-
ton"
The fact that members OF the steel
rail combine, as well as the similar
union Of the manufacturers OF wire
nails and wrought iron. are selling
their product abroad at rates calcu-
lated to meet German and English
competition, is the best possible proof
that IN these lines of business the peo-
pie Of the United States are not hav-
ing the benefit OF free and natural home
competition" The fact that the Amer
lean manufacturer can compete in
foreign markets with the manufact-
urere Of Europe is proof, either of his
independence Of protective duties, or
of his readiness 10 sacrifice part Of the
profit he earns in the home market to
enable him to get rid OF his surplus
abroad. In either case. the domestic
consumer is subjected to a totally in
defensible tax, and the combinations
made for the purpose of compelling
him to pay an artificial price are sus-
tanned by the existence of tariff du-
ties. Some time ago The Tribune said:
1.-THE country knows. as Mr.. Have
meyer himself publicly declared, that
no duty on refined sugar Is necessary
The country also knows that the duty
on steel rails, steel blooms and wire
nails Is totally superfiuous; and there
seems to be no good reason why all
the trusts should not be compelled to
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