Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-10-29
THREE OF A KIND.

L
The address Of Secretary Shaw in
Marshalltown Tuesday afternoon was
| a notable one from the fact that it was
| the first time he had delivered an opin-
ion directly upon the much discussed
tariff and monopoly planks Of the Iowa
platform. Mr.. Shaw clearly fears the
| political results of tariff discussion
among republicans which shall lead the
people to expect tariff revision and
then be disappointed when the next
congress fails to give it. Like Senator
Allison, he sees nothing in the Iowa
platform to Justify controversy" but
like Allison he also has little hopes of
tariff revision In the coming session Of
congress. He is careful not to go on
record for or against tariff revision by
republican legislators. but because of
the fact that the democrats are Shout
ing against trusts and the whole system
of protective tariffs he devotes most of
his tariff speech to clear explanation
of the modern trust and ringing de-
tense OF protection in principle and
practice.
After listening to Secretary Shaw
and reading carefully his speech, the
editors OF the Times-Republican can
find little in it not in harmony with the
views OF the republicans who adopted
the Iowa platform, and yet the debat-
able planks of that platform have not
had a more ardent champion than this
newspaper has been. Secretary Shaw
has been seriously heralded as opposed
| to the Iowa idea and his efforts to stem
a tide of popular feeling against trusts
and in favor of the democratic conten-
ton that protective tariffs create trusts.
combined with his well-known personal
antagonism to Governor Cummins, has
created an impression that he was as
greatly embittered against the Iowa
platform as some fractional newspapers
have been. II the English language is
to be understood as spoken he and AL
lison and Cummins and, in fact, all
iowa republicans, their platform as
well, are of about the same opinion.
The Iowa platform takes recognition
of the democratic claim that republi-
cans will never reduce tariff schedules.
but will always strive to put them
higher, by putting republicans on record
as not pledged to any schedule but to
the main principle OF protection to
American industry and labor, with
willingness to change schedules with
the changing conditions OF commerce.
| Tt goes farther and states that II at any
/ time in these changing conditions
monopoly has grown up enjoying the
benefits or shelter of protective tariff
said tariff will be removed.
| Governor Cummins, interpreting this
platform says that he is more and
more convinced of the beneficial results
| Of protection as national policy as
time tests its working, but that primar-
| lily the consumer Is more entitled to
competition in the production and sale
of the things he has to buy than the
producer is to protection, and that a
monopoly, whether private or corpor,
ate, is condition not to be tolerated by
| a free government. He also has wit
messed the modern craze for Industrial
combination and has seen the posslbili-
! ty of great corporation controlling SO
large a portion Of an industry In this
country as to dictate arbitrarily, with
the power Of monopoly, the price of a
commodity to all consumers in this
country. To monopolize, he says, is a
crime, and the criminal monopoly should
mot be allowed to enjoy the benefits Of
a protective tariff. His plan is to in
vestigate carefully and curb the power
Of the monopoly by swapping Its tariff
benefits for increased market advan-
tages abroad, by reciprocity treaties.
Senator Allison recognizes the same
4 danger Of what he calls domestic mos
nopolies that appear to be perverting
the benevolent purposes of the tariff
from healthy domestic competition to
selfish greed by controlling prices and
limiting production for that purpose"
He, however, is in the position of re-
sponsibility, and sees also the great
danger of attempting to revise the tar
if, and predicts that it will not be
deemed wise to try it this winter.