The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-02-03
TRUSTS AND PROTECTION.


Republican newspapers all over the
United States are calling for legislative
action against the combines which con-
troll the necessities Of the newspaper
business, levy blackmail upon intelli-
gence and seek to add publishers and
their employees to the millions who
wear the yoke of the trust.
Every. consumer Of trust-made and
trust-handled goods in this country is
becoming convinced that the Repub-
lican tariff, raised year after year to
prohibitive heights upon specially IA
vOred industries, is an injury to him
self, to his neighbors and to the coun-
try. Even the Republican journalists
Of the protection enriched state Of
Pennsylvania, for whose benefit tribute
has been levied upon every other sec
ton Of the country for TWENTY-FIVE
years, begin to realize what a robbery
it has been and to call for a repeal Of
every tariff behind which a trust may
be found entrenched.
. One Of the worst features Of the Nc
Kinley and Dingley system Of so-called
protection Isl it's enslavement Of labor
under the guise Of philanthropy. En-
acted for the benefit Of the lahoring
man. as the siren politicians sang to him
in years gone by, these tariff measures
were the means Of giving greater power
to capitalist combines while rendering
the consumer more helpless every day,
and reducing labor to a condition Of
absolute enslavement to trust influ
ences.
1t appears that there are lie tariff
made and tariff protected trusts in this
country, controlling in one way or an
other the various necessities of life,
representing 1900, 600 individuals in
American families dependent upon
them for rate Of wages ard other Tegu-
Iations, The total employees number
$4,000. OF these more than 100000 are
engaged in manufacturing articles of
food and drink; 775,O00 are engaged in
the making Of clothing and furniture,
a round Loco, 600 produce and prepare
products Of the earth in mines and min
erals: an equal number are engaged in
transportation and communication;
nearly 100000 in machinery and metal
products.
Wages were reduced from Is to 50
pei. cent in Harrison's administration,
those banner years of high protection
prosperity; another reduction was made
when every price and value fell, except
the price of gold, in the gold standard
panic of 1893. But since foreign pan
les or developments have caused an IN
usual demand for our products. the
prices of trust-made articles have been
advanced from Is to 100 per cent, while
wages have been advanced from ; to
10 per cent. liable to a reduction the
moment the foreign market becomes
fairly well supplied. It cannot be de-
MED that these wOrkmen are absolutely
at the mercy Of the trusts in this ad-
ministratiOn.
By raising the price on the necessities
of life, consolidating for mutual pro-
lection when the- get ready to close
the mills or reduce the wages of work
men and making arrangements for the
admission Of millions Of coOie laborers
under a new colonial system, it will
become apparent, If il is not already,
that the iaboring men oe this republic,
within a very short time, viii find
themselves as much under control Of
the gigantic combinations concerned as
ever the blacks Of the south were I'M
der the control Of their white masters.
Let no one deceive himself that the
paper trust is the only unlawful COM
bination that is taking advantage Of its
opportunities under. this administra-
ton 1t is the first howl that has gone
up from .the threats Of Republican edi-
tors and publishers. but this is because
the evil has knocked at their own doors
So long as the robber influence confined
its operations TO other people, these Re
publican newspapers approved and ap-
/ plauded- No sooner does the paper trust
call upon tkem to stand and deliver
than they become convinced that trusts
are evils. not imaginary but actual,
evils which have been nurtUred by the
Republican tariff system and whose
remedy lies in readjuetment of the
tariff laws.
How many confessions viii il take
from Republican leaders and from tar
if experts and champions TO convince
the rank and file Of the protection party
that the system is a scheme Of black
mail and robbery which has been car
lried on for years under the banner and
in the name Of the Republican party?
conersssnan sihlev sans ~ he