Akron daily Democrat. [volume] (Akron, Ohio) 1892-1902, 1900-10-06

"A cDOiCe between the companies
would be in favor Of the Midvale, as
that company offered the lowest bid.
The foregoing is taken from the New
York Times of Wednesday, and 1t
completely vindicates the justice of
the structures of Judge Grant in his
speech Wednesday night upon the
course of Andrew Carnegie in announc-
ing his intention of voting for Mr..
Mckinley, after all his protestations
Of adherence at the Presidents colon
ial policy.
The Times is n rabid Mckinley
paper, but 1t is generally fair in its
publication Of the news.
To comprehend the whole drift of the
situation it should be known that the
Iron and Steel trust, which Mr.. Car
negie controls, has for many years had
the practical monopoly of furnishing
the government with armor plate for
its ships of war. In 1893 it was shown
in Congress that the Bethlehem Iron
company, now part of the trust, was
selling plate to the Russian admiralty
for $249 a. ton, while we were paying
for the same quality, to the same com
pany, $606 ton. Ever since that
time much rancorous debate has been
INDUCED in, as each naval appropra-
ton bill has come before Congress
for passage, but in every instance the
trust has had it's way and has robbed
our people by these extortionate
off on the government large quantity
of fraudulent nrmor, in which blow
holes We're concealed by being filed
with tallow, and the like,-as was
shown by Congressional investga-
tion. Nothing, however, was done with
the men who thus put in fearful
jeopardy the lives of our seamen, and
nothing was done towards protecting
the treasury from its annual looting
by the armor trust, until about two
years ago, when q bill was passed
limiting the future price Of plate to
$500 a ton. No armor was supplied
under this law. At the last session OF
Congress resolute attempt was made
by the Republican majority to force
the people back into the power of the
trust and TO pay exorbitant prices for
something the government must have
and could get nowhere else. The
naval appropriation bill carried a
clause permitting the department to
pay for arrnor at S445 ton, il il could
not be bought for less, but directing
the erection and equipment of plant
for making armor on government ac-
count, If in the Judgment of the Sec
retary the prices demanded by the
trust should be unconscionable. This
of itself was an enormous surrender
TO the syndicated monopoly which has
It's clutches on the throat of our
means of warfare. But abject as the
backdown was, 1t did not satisfy the
greed of these patriots who are out fol
the stuff Mr.. Hanna led the assault
upon the treasury In the Senate, and
1t was not until June 9th, 1000, the
last working day of the session, thai
he had whipped enough votes into line
to warrant the trust in showing theil
hand In full. 1t then came out In tn,
shape of an amendment offered by
Senator Penrose, the attorney for tho
trust, and who called on the President
at Canton on Monday, merely to pay
his respects" This amendment per
: mitted the AdminlstrationSto buy ar
, NOR plate absolutely without lmi
as to price, except that II should b,
! in the Judgment of the Secretary o.
the Navy, reasonable and equitable.
This amendment was adopted by /,
vote of 30 to 35.--not voting II. Bu
. one Democrat-and he gold man
: voted for 1t and Republicans voted
against 1t. Among the latter, to thei
, credit, were Senators Spooner and For
I aker.
One reason given for this lcttin,
down of the bars as to price was tha
' the three battle ships now building
needed armor at once, and that w
q tcould not wait for the erection of
Q plant on government account
Under the law as thus passed tn
Secretary advertised for bids FOR 30
! 900 tons of plate. These We're opene,
' on August 10th, There We're three o
/ them; two of these were by the Cnl
y ncgie and Bethlehem companies
= which are In the trust, and one was h.
o the Midyalo company, whose bid wa
t lower by over 800 a ton than either o
the others, which wero both just alike
All were rejected ns excessive. Nov
r bids We're advertised for, to be opene
4, on TUESDAY of this week They wpr