The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-16
THE TARIFF AND TRUsrs.

! Mr.. Henry 0. Havemeyer. president Of
the American Sugar Refining Company.
struck Athe Republican party a severe
blow on Wednesday, when he declared in
his testimony before the Industrial. COM
mission that the tariff was the mother
OF all trusts" That party proposes 90
put a plank in its national platform next
year condemning trusts. That it in
tends 10 do so is shown by the fact that
the Republicans of Ohio put strong anti
trust plank in their platform the other
| day. But how can the Republican party
! consistently take a position agaius,
trusts as long as it clings TO protective
tariI?
1t cannot be said that the president of
the sugar trust doesn't know what he is
talking about when ne says the kind Of
tariff the Republican party gives the coun-
try is "the mother of all trusts" because
there are very few men better qualified
than he is 10 say what the effect of a high
protective tariff is. so far as trusts. are
concerned. 1t is part Of his business to
study the effect of our present tariff sys-
TEN on the industries and businesses Of
the country.
1t is not improbable that the great issue
in the campaign next year will be the
old time issue of the tariff. 1t is certain
that the Democratic party is going TO put
strong antitrust plank in its platform
and if it be true that a high protective tar
if is "the mother of all trusts then the
real fight Will be against the tariff system
of the Republican party. The Democratic
party is in a position to make an issue
against the tariff. Its position is, and has
| always been, that the tariff should be for
revenue and not for protection On che
other hand, the Republican party has al
ways insisted, and still insists, that the
tariff must be protective one. But if
| protective tariff means trusts. how can the
! Republican party go before the country
| on a platform which contains a demand
against trusts?
It is true It may insist that trusts are
not children Of the protective tariff, but
claim of that sort would amount to
nothing unsupported by facts. The facts
are as the president Of the sugar trust
states them, namely that if It were not
for the protective tariff the probabilities
are that 1t would be impossible TO main
tain trusts with any degree of success.
If the tariff were placed on a revenue
| basis the trusts would have 10 meet com
petition from all the world They
wouldn't be abe to maintain their monop-
olies. Much of the money which is now
| paid 20 the holders of the watered stocks
OF the trusts would remain In the pockets
of the people.
The Republican leaders have been saying
that the Democratic party couldn't have
a monopoly of the antitrust issue because
| the Republicans have been legislating
against trusts for years, and will put in
their platform as strong an antitrust
| plank as the Democrats can put in their
platform, but it is apparent from what the
president of the sugar trust says that they
are mistaken Their party cannot fight
| trusts unless It takes a position on the
tariff question directly contrary to that
which it has always maintained. The Dem
ocrats, If they SO decide can make opposI-
ton 90 trusts the battle cry of their party
in 1900, and the Republicans will not be
able to counterfeit the effects of il by
pretending TO be opposed to trusts. The
Republicans cannot make the people be
iieve that they are opposed 10 trusts as
dong as they uphold the principle of pro-
lection In the tariff.