The record-union., 1899-08-31

spending. When a tax was a mere
tribute, purloined by a despot for his
personal use. it was natural to evade
paying it, if possible. When it was
collected from one class for the benefit
of another, evasion was equally excus-
able. Only when taxes are equal and
just and expended for the common ben
eft can they be expected to be paid
cheerfully or, on the part of those with
even moderately flexible consciences,
honestly. This condition is possible
only in a modern democracy and is too
rare there Until it is commoner, tax
lodging will not grow much rarer.
CALIFORNIA AND THE TRUSTS.
San Jose Herald: A Southern Cali
protection as the mother of trusts, but
at the same time demands a higher
tariff on lemons because the Dingley
bill does not sufficiently protect them.
Republican contemporary declares
that he is Inconsistent.
That does not necessarily follow. Not
having seen the lemon growers argu-
ment in full we cannot say whether or
not it is inconsistent on the whole, but
as stated by our contemporary it is not.
1t is simply a demand for a fair show
IN making up protective tar
lTf. This lemon grower may be
consistent free trader and will
ing to take his chances with foreign
competitors provided other American
industries are put on the same footing
But If manufacturers and other produ-
GERS are to be SO fully protected against
foreign competition that they can COM
b1ne In trusts and charge the people
monopoly prices for their goods, which
the lemon grower among others must
pay, then he is entitled to such tariff
on lemons as will enable him and other
lemon growers to combine and charge
the manufacturers and other consumers
monopoly prices. We will leave it even
TO hide-bound protectionist if this is
not fair statement of the case
TRUSTS AND PROGRESS.
riverside Enterprise: We believe
that 1t is idle to be crying down the
trusts. There is not needed restriction
OF the tendency toward monopoly as
much as some national method of reg
ulatlng the monopoly itself To put
barriers in the way of the further con-
solldatlons of capital would be to put
brakes on the wheels of progress AS
there must be order in Government, so
must there be order in industry. The
world has for some time been beyond
the state of anarchy in industry. It IS
only by consolidation and a general SUI
pervision of any department of ac-
t1vlty that the department can be run
intelligently. The tendency toward mo-
ncpoly is the most hopeful sign OF the
tLa
organized it will be possible to turn
the advantage of their economies to the
good of all. A revolution in industrial
Hethods demands revolution in eco
nom1c distribution. And so the hope
OF the country is in the prospect of
that economic revolution.
WORKINGMEN AND THE STRIKE.
Stockton Record: There is a great
deal Of comment just now over the
periods at which strikes occur, and crit
lclsm seems to be unfavorable to the
laborer because he strikes when there
is plenty of work. Why shouldn't he?
Ii there is any virtue in that species of
demand for higher wages, that is surely
the time when the workingfnan sho1li
use 1T. The trouble, the very root Of the
failure of many strikes has been be-
cause there were plenty of idle men
ready, and, in many cases enforced. to
take the places made vacant by the
strikers. If the strike is to be used, it
therefore stands to reason that its only
effectiveness as weapon can be when
all men, or nearly all men, are employ
ed. OF course, there is a debatable
question as to the efficacy of the strike
some Of the foremost thinkers holding
that it is unnecessary in a Government
or popular representation. But the fact
remains Notwithstanding that if the
methods is to be appealed to, the only
time to insure its success is when half
the mass of laboring men are not on
the market to bid against the other
half