The Chanute times. [volume] (Chanute, Kan.) 1897-1913, 1902-12-19
TRUST AND TARIFF
LEGISLATION
Ex-Spea ker Reed on the Dangers Attend
ino a Resort to Wrong Remedies.
From North American Review for December.
Concluded from last week.

From North American Review for December
Concluded from last week.
The proposed treatment of cor
porations, even if something ough
to be done, is fine example of how
easily men mistake their wishes fol
their reasons. 1t is proposed to re-
peal such portions of the Tariff
act as have made these corporation:
prosperous. Of course, this is moi
intended to attack the Tariff. All
we are trying to do is to sap the
prosperity of institutions which have
grown so large as to brighten us.
Why do they frighten us3 Because
they are great and strong and
wealthy. Of course, then, theil
greatness and strength and wealth
are fundamental facts beyond dis
pute. No Tariff law, of course, can
be made which does not apply to all.
Hence, if the Tariff is so reformed
that the big, strong and wealthy
corporations 90 to destruction, how
are the small ones to be saved?
Really, to the calm and judlcious
mind this seems like Free-Trade
for Its own sweet sake.
Protection in some lands may be
the subject of discussion and debate.
How it can be that in this country,
and at this time passes all under
standing. In the United States the
policy of Protection has had CEN
fury and a quarter of alternate
triumph and defeat. The triumph
has always been followed by pros
perity, the defeat by hard times.
The idea that Protection is in the
nature of medicine, to be dropped
as soon as possible, is an idea we
had better examine. What if it is
food? The medicine notion comes
from the early arguments for the
selection of infant industries to be
fostered and cherished. Time and
experience have enlarged that no.
ton of Prosperity. They have
shown that Protection is not privi-
lege, but system. A privilege might
be robbery. A system must justify
itself by results. The principle
which underlies Protection is the
securing at all times to the Amerl-
can people the markets of America.
1t means that the work of this nation
shall be done by the people of this
nation. All wealth comes from the
marrying of labor to the raw mater
ial. In a country like ours, extend
ing over such vast regions, there can
be no lack of materials. Any sys-
tenn which enables our people to do
our own work is the system which
can give, and has gwen, the best re-
suits. The enemy have always sheer
ed at the idea that taxes can make
US rich. But this is simply to be-
guile by words. Would it be any
less absurd to say that taxes gave us
good currency7 And yet they did.
We tax State currency. We do not
raise one cent by the tax; it simply
bars out the State currency. We
used the tax as way of accomp-
fishing result-as means to an end.
In like manner, we used the taxing
power to create a barrier behind
which we could do our own work.
All the theorists, men who thought
there was nothing in the world they
could not think of, declared we
would be ruined. We have not been
ruined, but we are to-day very
lively example of a people who do
their own work. What would you
say was the ideal industrial condi-
ton of a nation9 Everybody at
work. Just now we have everybody
at work. And yet we think we want
something else. If we keep on fuss
ing we shall get it. With all the
world, except England. including
her own colonies, of our opinion,
with success embroidered on all our
banners, we are invited to surrender