The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1900-01-12
AN AWKWARD ATTITUDE.

AN AWKWARD ATTITUDE.
Albany Democrat
more awkward attitude never fell TO
the lot Of any newspaper than that
which now attaches to the Oregonian.
Some days ago it was writing up Car
neQie in a spirits Of revenge because
that gentleman sees fit to oppose the
forcible annexation Of the Philippines,
which, in the language Of Mckinley is
''criminal aggression" when II unwit-
tinely admitted that "the protective
tariff has been in their hands (the Car
negie's) these forty years an instrument
of colossal robbery, and 10 even yet"
Here is a confession that would bring
the blush OF shame TO an ordinary one
bearing false witness. Since 1888 the
oregonian has used its great power In
season and out TO make the Carnegies
secure in their hold upon the throats oil
the public, obtained by means OF the
protective tariff, which that paper now
calls "an instrument ofcolossal robbery
and this instrument Of colossal robbery
has not only been in the hands oil the
Carnegies, but also in the hands o.
nearly all the trust organizations in the
country. The steel and iron trusts, the
WOODEN mill trusts, the knit wool trusts,
the lumber trusts and the hundreds OF
others too numerous to mention are all
the outgrowth OF that instrument oil
colossal robbery" more particularly
called the protective tariff" And the
Oreeonian contributed mighty large
share Of the influence that placed the
protective tariff laws upon the books oil
the country and thus placed in the hands
of these trusts this ''instrument of colos-
sal robbery" How does the Oregonian
like this little sketch Of itself and its
awkward attitude before the public. II
will not he a sufficient answer TO this
charge Of wicked Inconsistency ON the
part Of that paper 20 abuse the editor oil
this paper or 10 throw mud as II has
frequently done before, because the pub
lie generally knows that when this great
tariff issue was raised by Cleveland, the
Democrat again and again charged the
oregonian with supporting a "robber
tariff" while the paper supported this
seli-same tariff with zeal and ability
worthy much better cause and de-
clared In 10 doing that no legislation
could DO more beneficial 10 the country
at large.
The ablest editorial articles in favor OF
free trade that ever appeared In an Ore
Ron newspaper were published In the
oregonian in 1883. Then all Of a sndden
some silent influence unknown 10 the
public caused II 10 veer around and take
the strongest possible grounds in favor
Of what II now calls "an instrument OF
colossal robbery" Such il brief out
line Of the course Of the oregonian on
the tariff question. Its course ON many
other questions is similarly serpentine.
II was the original anti-expansionist in
Oregon, declaring when Dewey captured
Manila that the United States should
not hold the Philippine Islands. Now
il is the great mogul of imperialism in
the North West. Once il denounced
Democrats numerically for opposing a
"robber tariff an instrument Of eolos-
sal robbery" declaring that they were
working for British interests, and de-
clAring that British Gold was behind the
Democrats. Now no Englishman Is 50
poor and humble that the oregonian
will not do him reverence. With that
paper everything English you know" "
ia righteous altogether. The Democrat
regrets that the oregOnlan which is so
model a paper in many other respects
should be SO sadly hampered with this
xig xig record.