Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-10-30

| field. The trust cuts the price, perhaps
below cost, in the local field. and re-
cOups itself elsewhere That Is a sam
| pie of the methods which have set pub
| lie opinion against the trusts IT ls' sale
to say that some way will be found
sooner or later to stop that. III the
trusts by reason of the volume OF 1ts
business can undersell its rivals With
uniform prices over the country the
competition is legitimate and 1t is en-
titled to the field, but every attempt to.
maintain monopoly by cutthroat poll
cies will certainly stir the people to in
dignation and to search for relief,
Il have no faith whatever myself in
the ability of any single corporation to
maintain an effective monopoly in any
lime of industry not covered by some
secret or patented process No matter
how much wealth there is in a corpora
| ton there is more out of it. 1t is only
two years ago that practically all the
| iron and steel plants of the country We're
lorganized into few big corporations
| Within year competition was SO sharp
| that they were all merged into the Dill
ion dollar concern last spring. IooaS
| there are dozen enterprises on loot 10
! establish strong competitors. TWO years
ago 95 per cent of the wire and wire nan
capacity in this country was merged IN
Ito the American Steel and Wire COM
pany. Today the independent compa-
MES can supply 80 per cent OF the mar
ket requirements. The only way the
steel trust can maintain Itself is by
lputting down prices and Keeping them
down.
'.Whatever actual saving can be made
lby employing large capital. thai we
want, but the public will find way to
ldefeat extortion and to give competitors
a fair fight.
THE Iowa platform demands one
thing more to prevent possible extor-
tion by the trusts. 1t demands that the
protective tariff, established with the
honest purpose to stimulate industries
in this country. shall not in any 9etail
1 be allowed to serve as shelter to mo-
| nopoly. Industry after industry has
been developed in this country until
| prices were az low for home goods as
lthey had formerly been for foreign
goods. But conditions change, and sys-
| tematic efforts to stifle competition at
lhome calls for the declaration that mas
been made. 1t is simply guaranty that
1.-THE protective policy shall not be
abused.
THE republicans of Iowa have made
still another declaration upon the tariff.
| They have declared for the policy OF re-
| ciprocal trade. Some of our democratic
| friends don't seem to comprehend the
difference between free trade and recip-
rocity. The difference is that in the one
case you open your market free and
without conditions. while in the other
you make a trade that opens other mar
| kets TO YOU. Up to within few years
1 we have had little interest in foreign
| tariffs. We exported nothing but farm
products and our customers had to have
them. But conditions are changing rap
lidiy. We have become exporters OF
manufactured goods. Our manufactur-
| ere, fcstered by the greatest home mar
ket in the world. have developed until IN
many lines they actually lead the world.
/ Whereas twenty years ago their only
Thought was how to preserve their nome
1 market from the foreigner their chief
| concern has now become how to get INTO
\ foreign markets. But at almost every
| port of Europe at which our goods ap-
1 ply for admittance, we find ourselves at
| a disadvantage as compared with rivals
| There Is rivalry, Jealousy, hostility, ev-
erywhere. They do not need our manu-
fractured goods as they do our raw prod
Iucts; and they do not want them in
vading their markets. Even when our
manufacturers at great expense work
upon demand for their goods, 1t is
I likely to be deliberately destroyed by
Legislative or executive act because we
hold no treaty rights. From this time
on it is as important to protect and as
j sist our manufacturers in foreign mar
kets, to guard them against sudden and
hostile changes. to remove the obstacles
4 that obstruct their sales, as 1t is to give
protection at home. The object is the
same. The two efforts are parts of one
system. The policy proposed is one of
4 negotiation, mutual concessions, give
and take, life and let live. know that
this policy 10 by some considered to be a
j departure from the past policy of the
party, but 1t seems to me to be the nat
ural outgrowth and complement OF a
Il successful policy of protection.