Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1902-08-29
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sd ~ g Chairman Grisgs and n.
s+ Ia On MRA "a u His Good Luck-Pros- -
&c.. " IH H6N n h q a y perty Which Repub- ~.
~ ~ IA IA W. "a "a - f. lcans Did Not Cause 7"'
- y Clarl<'S Letter =
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souruTess OF their intellect anecreo by
either enthusiasm or brooding than Har-
rison. Boutwell,. Edmunds and Reed. we
should like to know them. This is to leave
out OF account the author of the most
magnificent speeches made in the present
era Of the nations history.
That Herald editorial appears to be
regular sockdolager on the Nutmeg
statesman. He will have to spit on his
hands and try 1t over again.
Free Advice.
The Atlanta Constitution, Democrat
fc, rises to remark:
The Democratic congressional campaign
Of this year should be vigorous and az
gressive attack on those tariff schedules
that are being used no longer to ward off
impossible foreign competition, but to rob
our own people and build up enormous
personal fortunes for favored classes and
sections. The way to kill the trust Is to
kill the special legislation which is the
spinal cord of it's life. The way to de-
stroy the leather trust and get shoes at
fair prices is to repeal the taxes on hides.
The way to destroy the food trust is to re-
peal the food taxes and let the cattle and
fresh meats of Canada, Mexico and South
America come in to regulate prices to a
living level. And so on to the end Of the
chapter.
That's one remedy and good one,
but it is an old saying that doctors
disagree" In long editorial on the
subject Of trusts the New York Mail
and Express, Republican, says:
A more memorable law than any statute
framed In Washington is responsible for
the early demise of these corporations
the law Of supply and demand. The
American dollar frames that law. 1t is
alert to opportunity, eager for invest
ment, hard to beat in competition. 1t is
at work all the time against the trust
that initiates prices or seeks return on
watered stock. And it will come nearer
solving the trust problem than will any
legislation enacted by congress. Congress
can do much and should do something to
make unlawful some Of the present prac-
tees of the trusts, but individual Amer
lean enterprise and capital will after all
prove to be the real and vital force
against them.
That is only another way of stating
the warcry Of Hon. Serene q. Payne,
"Let well enough alone" or Mark
Hanna's Improvement on Payne, keep
on letting well enough Alone" to which
every trust and criminal in the land
will give most fervent and hearty
"Amen" There is no sort of doubt
that the suggestion of the constitution
is preferable to that of the Mail and
Express. Horace Greeley said, "rhe
way to resume is to resume" and the
way to bust the trusts is to bust them.
1t is true that individual enterprise
endeavors to bust them; but, as rule.
they bust individual enterprise. If the
M. and T.. would give complete list
of the private enterprises crushed by
the Standard Oil company, it would be
valuable lesson.
The President and the Trusts.
Individually am inclined to give the
| president credit for honesty in his
| crusade against the trusts. 1t is said
that he has selected Mr.. Littlefield of
Maine to introduce and manage an
antitrust bill. The Washington Post,
| Independent and high tariff shouter,
| is doubling Thomas rs to what q
| Republican congress is likely to do to
the trusts. The Post is on the ground
and possesses unusual facilities for
information not only as to what is
| done and left undone, but also as to the
motives of the actors AS to the Roose-
velt-Littleficld pronunciamento against
| the trusts it discourscs in this cynical
strain:
1t appears that an administration anti
| trust bill is to be introduced in congress
| on the reassembling of that body in De-
cember. Hitherto executive activities in
behalf of antitrust legislation have been
| confined to recommendations in the regu-
| iDl Low
called the attention of congress to this
subject and expressed the hope that a
| legislative remedy for the evils of monop-
olistic combinations would be devised and
| applied. President Roosevelt In his mes
sage to the Fifty-seventh congress last
| December treated the trusts In con-
| servative manner, but suggested publicity
as an important feature of remedial legia-
| lation. But neither the recommendation
| of Mckinley to the Fifty-sixth congress
| nor of Roosevelt to the Fifty-seventh con-
| gress fructitied in any antitrust enact
| ment. Indeed, there was no feature of the
| programme Of the Republican leaders in
| both of these congresses-in the Fifty
| sixth throughout its life and in the Fifty
| seventh throughout it's long session-more
| evident than their determination to avoid
| interference with the trusts in any way.
| But in the Fifty-sXth congress the
house Of representatives did make a far
cical pretense Of attempting an attack on
/ stllO COllDIileS Assuming IL 10 De
fact that the president has requested
| Representative Littlefed of Maine. whose
| name fills seventh place on the house
| judiciary committee, to prepare the pro-
| posed administration antitrust BILL we
| are moved to remind that gentleman of
| the existence of an antitrust measure that
| was prepared by that committee, was put
through the house almost. If not quite,
unanimously and is now in pigeonhole
in the room OF the senate judiciary COM
mlttee, the Identical place for which 1t
| was originally intended the restful abode
| toward which 1t was Intentionally directed
by its trainers and promoters. Mr.. Little
| field was even then, although new in con
| gress, member Of that important com
| mittee, but he was not credited with-or
| suspected of-the authorship of that
| measure, yet it would be far from credit
able to his intelligence and sagacity to
suppose that he did not have a full under
| standing and keen appreciation of the
| farce which his committee was perpetrat-
| ing. 1t was a two act production, includ-
| ing besides that famous antitrust bill, now
| entered upon its third year of mistaken
| slumber. the still more widely famed Bry-
| n-Naphen-J enkins-Ra committees anti
trust amendment. Fresh as he then was
| in the councils of the nation, the new
imam from Maine brought with him q
keenness of perception and a sense OF
humor which must have heightened his
| enjoyment of that racy farce comedy.
That BILL although intended to meet
| death in the process of parturition, was
| printed. and several copies OF it are in ex-
| {stence. Possibly Mr.. Littlefleld has one
| of them. At any rate. he can readily OBJ
tain one, and he may find It edfyihg to
make careful study of the means which
| ,,nt, lt.,tt t..l-.