The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-27
THE NEW WAR AGAINST
PROTECTION.

Every day makes 1t more evident that
the Democratic attack on trusts Is really
directed against protection. As far as
trusts or any economic evils connected
with them are concerned the pretended
attack is feint. Its objective point is
protection. This is evident from the fact
that the party leaders and press scout and
ridicule the idea of dealing with the trust
evil in any other way than by repeating
tariff duties on trust products. which, of
course means repeating the duties on SINH
lar products of nontrust manufacture.
Starting with the assumption that the tariff
is the mother of trusts-an assumption
which is not supported by a particle OF
proof. and which is refuted by many facts
the conclusion is easy that the only way
to cure trusts is to repeal the tariff. In
reality, therefore, the Democratic anti
trust movement is a free-trade movement
in disguise. The Democratic party dare not
come out openly at present in favor Of free
trade, and will not dare to do so for some
years to come. Popular remembrance of
the disastrous results of the last tariff for
revenue only is so vivid and the benefits of
protection as now experienced are so pal
pable that party could hope to make
successful campaign at present on plat
form of open opposition to protection. So
the free-trade movement has become for
the time being an antitrust movement.
In pursuance of this policy every sugges-
ton of mitigating the trust evil in any
other way than by repeating protective
tariff duties is secuted by the Democratic
party as ineffective or impracticable. The
an effective remedy for the trust evil. 1t
said Existing laws against trusts must
be enforced and more stringent ones must
be enacted providing for publicity as to the
affairs Of corporations engaged in inter-
state commerce and requiring all corpora
tons to show, before dong business out
side of the State of their origin, that they
have no water in their stocks, and that
they have not attempted and are not at
tempting to monopolize any branch of bust
ness or the production OF any articles of
merchandise" That was not a bad sugges-
by the States, and no Democratic State has
attempted to carry 1t out. But now it is
repudiated and President Roosevelt is de-
nounced as insincere or visionary because
he favors publicity as one remedy for the
trust evil Publicity is all humbug, say the
Democratic leaders; repeal of the tariff is
the only thing that will do any good. Again,
the Kansas City platform demanded that
"the whole constitutional power of Con-
gress over interstate commerce shall be ex-
ercised by the enactment of comprehensive
laws upon the subject of trusts President
Roosevelt goes even further, and says that,
IL necessary, the Constitution should be
amended to give Congress more
power in the premises. All humbug and
nonsense, say the Democratic leaders; re-
peal of the tariff is the only thing that will
do any good. They do not discuss the ques-
ton at all. They make no attempt to ac-
count for the existence of trusts any
other theory than that they are caused by
the tariff. They ignore the fact that some
of the largest trusts in the country are en-
tirely independent of the tariff. They ig-
more the fact that trusts are being formed
in all commercial countries. including free
trade England. They insist that the tariff
is the mother of trusts and demand the
repeal of protection. 1t is not the trusts
they are aiming at; it is the protective
tariff under which the country is prosper
ing as never before in its history. The
Democratic antitrust campaign is free
trade campaign in disguise. 1t is a new
war against protection.