Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1901-02-15
THE TRUST REMEDY.

THE TRUST REMEDY.
The popular sentiment against trusts
has been aroused to eliminating
point by the reports of the glgahtlc
HILTON dollar steel combination OF the
Morgan and Rockefeller interests, winch
have succeeded by absorbing MI Car
nee,fe's vast company in eliminating
that disturbing factor from the helo
of competition The sentiment or the
country on this subject is crystalllzed
in the measure introduced by MI. BAD
cock, Republican, providing Tor the
abolition of the tariff on steel products
controlled by trusts OF course, there Is
small chance of such measure pass
ing the present Congress, whose mem
bers, together with the administration,
owe so much to trust Doodle, but the
fact that such a measure has been IN
PRODUCED on the Republican side IS
an encouraging sign that public sentl-
ment has been aroused to point where
it is making itself felt even on the Re-
publican side of the House.
All sorts of objections are urged
against the bill. The most ridiculous,
however, is that of Mr.. Payne, of New
York, chairman of the ways and means
committee, who says he believes the
abolition of duties in schedule Z would
operate to the advantage of the big
combination and to the detriment of
smaller manufacturers. Now, if there
were any reason to believe the proposed
bill would operate in this manner, there
would be no directors to it among the
trust advocates. If it would give the big
steel trust a further monopoly, as Mr..
Payne pretends to believe, it would go
through with a whirl under suspension
of the rules and we would not be told
that there is no time for consideration
OF the question at this session. The
people will willingly overlook any delay
which the consideration and passage
of this measure would involve. What
they have no time for is Hanna's S270,-
100000 ship subsidy grab and similar
measures of public plumber in the in
terests of monopoly. The other kind
or any kind of honest antitrust legis-
lation-the people Will stand for and
gladly brook any delay.
pvt univ cbo,,Jd +boro bo oou 5o1ox,
involved in the consideration of this
bill. The proposition is very plain.
Every member of Congress on both
sides of the House knows that the con-
Germs included in the Morgan deal and
the other steel trusts are selling their
highly protected wares in foreign mar
kets at from one-halt TO one-third the
prices they charge thSir own country
men at home. This is a matter of public
record, and is a fact that every news
paper reader is thoroughly conversant
with. Now, if these American trusts
can enter foreign markets after paving
the foreign duty and still sell at a
lower figure than the foreign manufac-
turer can meet in his own home mar
ket, what excuse is there for a pro
tective" tariff against the foreign man
ufacturer in this country? The only
possible reason for such tariff is that
1t enables these American trusts to
charge the American consumer arbi-
trary prices for their products
1T ought not to take any honest leg
islator long to master that situation
obviously if these trusts can beat the
foreigner on his own ground they need
no protective tariff at home. 1t is the
simplest kind of proposition and only
the simplest kind of legislation is
needed to meet it and furnish the only
practicable remedy for trust extor-
ton.