Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1899-04-07
OUR CANDIDATE IN 1900

our CANDIDATE IN 1900
In the Trap of lingo Monopoly.
Springfield Republican:-The trusts
are disturbing the Republican organs
of the West. They are referred to by
the st. Paul Pioneer Press as "devour-
ing monsters" which must be taken
in hand by the Republican party if
that party is to escape the ccndemna-
ton of the people. 1t is the duty of
the party, says the Pioneer Press, to
repeal every protective duty which
shelters any part of this "monstrous
oligarchy of monopoly"
1t is a somewhat significant fact
that the leading administration organ
of the West, the Chicago Times
Herald, indorses this policy OF strik-
ing at the trusts through the tariff:
"Most certainly it should be the du-
ty of congress, in both branches OF
which the Republicans have ma
jority to abolish or suspend the pro-
tective duty on the products of any in
dustry which has been organized into
q trust and which has arbitrarily rails
ed the price of such products. No
mercy or consideration should be
shown to any combination of capital
that takes advantage of a protective
tariff to mulct American consumers.
1t should be the first Office of the Re-
publican majority in congress to free
It's skirts from all responsibility for
trusts, which, under the shelter of the
tariff, exact high prices from the peo-
ple."
And as most all of the trusts are
organized for the chief purpose OF
holding up or advancing prices and
proceeded accordingly, they may all
fairly be included in this demand for
punishment.
But do these administration organs,
We wonder, realize the sweeping ma
ture of their remedy? The New York
Journal of Commerce has been at
pains to bring together and add up the
capitalizations of the trusts and com.
binations now in the field, and in
stock and bonds the total now am
cunts to So, 1872, Ss2, S42 and is daily be
ing increased, while year ago the
total was So, 662. 24l, 543. Going bacl
to the census of 1890 it appears tina
the entire capital then engaged il
manufacturing and mechanical in
dustries in the United States amount
ed to Sc, 525, 900, 900; so that it would
seem that the trusts already embrace
something like 80 per cent of the
manufacturing and mechanical in
dustries of the country as they stood
in 1890. The actual proportion of ex
listing industry now included in thos'
monopoly organizations must be con
siderably more than SO per cent
probably two.thirds measured on tn,
basis of capital.
Nearly every considerable manufac
turing industry is now included il
this movement. Nearly every pro
tected industry is included 1t is oh
vious that if the tariff remedy wer,
applied to the trusts practically tn
whole tariff would have to be repeal
ed. Only the agricultural and tn
cotton schedules would remain gen
orally untouched.
Is the Pioneer Press or Mr.. Koh,
saat's Chicago administration organ
prepared to advise Republican con
'gress to repeal, and Mr.. Mckinley t
sign bill repeating, pretty much tn
whole Dingley tariff? That is wha
they must advocate if they are sincere
1t is now tariff to protect greed
and aggrandizing monopoly and no
the industries Of the people, and III
der it monopoly is growing at rat
to confound the nation. Shall tn
whole Dlngley tariff be repealed2
But the trusts cannot be attacke
through the tariff without cuttin
away at the same time a chief sourt
OF the governments revenue, and tt
government has never SO much neet
ed revenue and more of it since ii
Civil war as it does now. What wou
the Pioneer Press and the Time
Herald substitute for tariff taxes [
keep the revenue up to the demant
OF the lingo policy which those p
pers have helped to plunge the natio
into?