Gilpin observer., 1899-06-22


cisms should be carefully studied by
the officers Mt the War Department
his conclusions are in the highest de-
gree complimentary, and his verdict
should be gratifying to every Ameri
can.
A reciprocity treaty between the
United States and Great Britain in re-
lation to trade between this country
and the British colony of Barbadoes
was signed at the Department of State
by the representatives of the two gov
ernments. 1t is the first treaty framed
under the Dingley law and the first Of .
the series of treaties which the Brit
ish colonies to the south of this coun-
try are seeking to effect. John A.
Kasson, special reciprocity plenipo-
tentiary, signed for the United States
and the British charge, Mr. Tower for
Great Britain. The treaty is made for
the term of five years. with provision
for an extension unless either party
should denounce it in the meantime. -.
1t is made strictly within the terms of
section of the Dingley law. which
provides for Il reduction of not more
than 20 per cent. of the regular duties
on goods, wares and merchandise
which may be agreed upon, in return
for reciprocal reductions given by other
countries.
The Agricultural Department has re
ceived an interesting report from Lieu
tenant A. +. Hayne. California heavy
artillery, on agriculture in the Philip
pines. dated Manila. Lieutenant Hayne
had been able to make no personal
observations beyond the American
lines. but he transmits the translation
of an article prepared for him by Senor
Manuel Del Busto. chief of the agri-
cultural experiment station in Manila.
| The most remarkable feature of the re-
port Is the almost hopeless picture
painted of the conditions prevailing in
| the island. The great fertility of the
soil is pointed out. and it is said that
in only few restricted areas. where
three crops Il year have been gathered
without interruption for several CEN
| turtles. is there any apparent need of
fertilizers. In spite of this. all attempts
at colonization have failed. either
through the poor class of emigrants
| secured, the financial inability of the
various companies and the corruption
or oppression of the governors and gov
ernment's agents. The result is that
| the middle and lower classes in the
| islands are almost of the worst possi-
bic type
| The feature of Saturday. session of the
| industrial commission was the test-
mony of l.. NJ. Lockwood, an independ
ent oil producer of Pennsylvania. He
denounced the Standard Oil Company
and railroad officials as highwaymena
| He quoted a. j. Cassatt, the new pres
ident of the Pennsylvania railroad, as
testifying before the Interstate Rail-
way Commission to the effect that
while the open rate to the public was
S1.9O per barrel. the rate to the Stand
ard Company was so cents. Further
| investigation said Mr.. Lockwood. had
developed the fact that the railroad
companies actually received only 80
cents. This condition of affairs had
resulted for n time according to the
witness. in giving the Standard Com,
pany profit of 400 per cent. while the
Independent refineries We're being driv-
ell rapidly into bankruptcy. Mr.. Lock-
wood was free in the use of epithets,
characteriZng both the oil company
and railroad officials ns highwaymen
and brigands. He said that men who
had carefully analyzed the testimony
taken before the Hepburn committee
estimated that In 1856 months time the
five trunk lines of Pennsylvania had
paid the Standard Company S11 100000
in rebates. The railroad companies
had, he said, completely ignored the or
der # the interstate commission to
stop their discrimination in favor OF
the Standard Company. resorting then
to the system of false billing.
Henry o. Havemeyer. president of
the American Sugar Refining Com
pany, was examined by the industrial
commission the other day, in cOnnec-
tion with its investigation of trusts.
His testimony related almost wholly
to the sugar industry, and he opened
with vigorous attack upon the Gus
toms tariff which he declared was the
mother of all trusts" becoming such
by providing ''inordinate protection to
manufactured articles" In the course
of his testimony he said: II repeat
that all this agitation against trusts is,
against merely the business machinery
employed to take from the public what
the government in its tariff laws says
it Is proper and suitable they should
have. II Is the government. through
its tariff laws, which plumbers the peo-
pie, and the trusts. etc. are merely
the machinery for doing 1t. Tariff
laws should not afford protection eX-
ceeding ten per cent. to any industry,
so that, irrespective of the form of do
Ing business. individual or corporation,
the people. that is, the consumer.
would be protected. AS the tariff laws
are and have been. 1t Is the consumer,
that is. the great mass of people. that
has terribly suffered, to the great ad-
vantage of the few of the business
community. The sugar company un-
doubtedly tries It's utmost to enlarge
its business, but does 1t In way which
1t considers the only proper one, that
Is. by making the price so low as to
defy competition. 1t Is my opinion tn;
corporations are under no obligation
whatever to any of the states for their
existence. Quite the reverse. The
states are under obligations to them.
If the plant of the Industries consoli-
dated was capable of being put on