The Oskaloosa herald. (Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa) 1885-1919, 1901-10-24
LACEY AT BUNCH.
Congressman Has a Fine Meet
ing in Davis County.
Special to the DAILY HERALD.

I Bunch, Iowa, Oct. 19.--Hon John
F. Lacey addressed a large political
meeting here this afternoon. Many
of his hearers were Democrats, bat
they were equally interested in his
remarkes, and were convinced with
his conclusions. He was warmly
greeted on all sides, and in every
way increased his popularity in this
section. In this address he devoted
considerable time to trusts and ex-
pansion and in part he said:
Our Democratic brethren made the mis-
take Of attacking the tariff in 1902, They
won It having won upon this issue once,
they have fondIy renewed it ever since
in commemoratlon Of that victory which
cost them and the country so dear
Those gentlemen who are catching so
eagerly at President McKinley's last speech
in which he talked in favor Of recipro-
city, and which they treat as a declara-
tlon against protective system, have not
read that address with much care. He
does not abate one jot or title Of his faith
in the protective policy. In my Judgment
there Is no surer method Of unsettling af-
fairs bringing about Industrial depression
and hard times than to revive the agitation
in favor Of thorough overhaUling of our
tariff system. Carefully considered recip-
rocity treaties may prove useful if We do
not give too much for the benefits We re
ceiye.
The Dingey Act is only four years old
l can imagine nothing more detrimental to
the interests OF this country than to un-
settle Industrial conditions by announcing
general revision of our tariff system.
Our democratic opponents have been in
sistlng that the tariff is the mother of the
trusts" That this is not true, is easily
demonstrated by the we'll known fact that
two of the greatest trusts in this country
are in articles that are upon the free list.
The anthracite coal trust and the coal Oil
trust both control the articles that have
no protection. The necessity Of dealing
with this trust question by some direct ac-
ton has long been conceded by all good
lawyers in this country Almost every
state in the union has adopted a rigid and
severe antitrust law, so that question has
not been party one heretofore, whatever
may have been said about it on the stump.
Recognizing the disadvantages of deal
ing with this question by state legislation
alone in the last Congress, an attempt was
made to amend the Constitution 50 as to
give the Federal government power to con
troll this subject. 1t has been the inteu-
ton of our Democratic opponents in the
campaign of 1900 to dwell very especially
upon this question, but when the proposed
amendment to the Constitution vas voted
upon, every Democrat and Populist in Con
gress voted against it except four; Scud-
der, of New York; Naphen of Massachus-
etts; Newlands of Nevada and Sibley Of
Pennsylvania. OF these four who voted
with the Republicans in favor Of a cOnsti-
tutiOnal provision, authorizing Congress to
control the trusts, Mr. Sibley has become
a Republican, leaving only three Democrats
voting with the Republicans upon this pro-
position.
The formation of the ice trust in the
state of New York by the Tammany Office
holders, was exposed about the same time
that the trust amendment to the Constitu-
tion was voted upon in Congress. The re-
suit was that we did not hear very much
of the trust question in the discussion in
the last campaign.
States alone. Let me give you an illustra-
tlon of a few Of those that have ben estab-
lished in Europe, including those in Great
Britain, where free trade prevails. The
list is a long one, but l will give you
samples. CTIere Major Lacey read long
list of the trusts existing in other coun-
tries)
Expansion was a great issue in the cam
palgn of 1900. The taking of the Philip
pines and Porto Rico was denounced in
terms of great abuse, as President McKin-
ley was called "a tyrant, an emperor, a
despOt," and such a variety of epithets
was heaped upon him that it is hard now
to realize how little was meant by those
who INDUCED in this excess Of vituperatiOn.
Let us hope that out of the sorrow that is
now so universal may grow up an endur-
ing protest against the abuse to which pub
lie officials have been so long subject
Washington and Jefferson endured it in
their day, and Lincoln was probably the
most maigned of them all.
But to return to the subject Of expan-
sion. The expansion of this country was
not a purpose of the Spanish war. On
the contrary, Congress at the very begin
ming disclaimed any intention to acquire or
hold the island Of Cuba, and voluntarily re-
solved that as soon as a stable government
could be established, that we would with
draw from the island.
Cuba was the only part of the Spanish
possessions that the United States had ever
sought. buchanan wanted to buy it for
$1OO,OOO,0OO, jefferson was opposed to the
Of any insular territory, but said
that Cuba was so near, so accessible and
so desirable that he made an exception in
favor Of the acquisition of this particular
island
And so when we entered upon the war
we highly resolved to refrain from the an
nexation of this long coveted piece Of real
estate.
1t was not deemed necessary to pass any
resolution as to Porto Rico or the Philip
pines. No one thought of their annexation
But in war it is the unexpected that hap
pens
1t Is easy to start a war, but no one