The sun., 1902-10-16
Mr.. COLER STRADDLES


made than that furnished by the frantic
and bel stod efforts Of the Republican Govern
and PENNSYLVANIA TO avert tn" consequences
OF their rsrtys folly.
For the past five wears the kepnbicsn
own. advantage the induttriai prosperity
Of the country. When that party persisted
mercis prosperity must he credited TO its
wise administration of national ahairs, II
wa- sowing the seed OF its own uhdo'ng,
" must now reap the harvest " he hoasted
prosperity and cortentme Of few months
& ago We're re-, the fruits 9f " rule Mus, ai,a
industrial dis-enSions and distress ot to-day.
TRUSTS AID Tariff
The Republican party has become NOR.
Than ever heior" tho party Of PRIVILEGED
OF the Constitution and in contempt oi every
prinolpl" oi equal rights. II is -" enemy
OF every one who either cannot or viii not
rsy tribute TO u for tariN protection. and
the friend of every one who viii Have tho
people nj the nitcd States shared equitahly
in the nrosprou- condition oi thc last three
years, Have The wsge-earners. the sslsrsd
employees aud the small trsdeemen and
merchants rTohred from Repuhltcsn rule
whose interests the Republican partr il cs-
pecislly. II no, exclusively soltci'ous,
pros prsG psnnp' under nd R@nuhcsn aGminis,fsrion
passed the widest hopes OF greed. But the
OF fov does not mako ior the health of y
nation and unless the masses ot the peopl"
are are proSperors there !. =" rea, pT9srFl,E
steadily and rapidly increased. and unless
wages have similarly advanced. the condition
Of ~" wsRe-earner Is obviously wor@" m
There are many industries in which It is
ol.ar that Mag"s have NOT ee-, lnGtGsseh pro- pro-
this is especially true of Hose industries IN
which the policy Of the Republican, PARTY
has fostcred the growth of private mouopoles
Not few of tho trusts whose pNaCtipu- are
most intolerable. would be- shorn Of their
poNer 10 oppre,s.if they Mer" not tniI"m"hfd
Csn protective tsriN
In man spheres OF industry th' iarlf,
great combinations of capital easy. caused
eNtravlgant increases III the prices oil the
necessaries OF life. and reduced labor 20, a
state bordering on ssridon For those evils
traceable directly to the Republican policy
OF public taxation for private benefit. ths
TasdS IS nsd ,,if ,n an1 oon,VuS in th1
produ and sale Of which "a monopoly
has been established.
belief that tarir revision il the leading natona
issu" OF the hour,
TAT coal srRlkE.
Whenever the entire capital of the country
under tho control oi few men We must ey
pect their employees. for the purpose OF sell
preservation. 10 form defensive romn.ns,
and tho shor in an industry whose Coutro
Is thus centra lized Is INTERRUPTED, " pro
throughou' the country, and when the in.
dnstry IN question II devoted to the prodn"'
tion of necessity OF human "Nistenre Sur'
suspension means suffering. privatiou and
death Conditions which lead nevitah,
TO such terrible consequences require thor
ough and permanent remedy. We see these
causes and effects reproduced in the current
history OF the Pennsylv wanna coal strike. The
reported settlement Of which Is profoundly
desired by every American. 4 Temporary
truce in this warfare betwe capital and
labor fails completely, however. TO reach the
underlying causes OF discomfort. which are
likely 10 reCur at any time, until remedies oil
| lasting nature are applied.
GovrtNMESr OWNERSHIP LAST RESORT.
In respect TO the suggestion in the Demo
| cratic platform that Federal ownership of the
| anthracite coal mines NAV he found necessary.
! in the public interest. I must be entirely
| frank NY view of all such questions is that
before the Government is called upon TO
assume the responsibilities Of ownership the
| power Of regulation should hrst of all be
honestly and thoroughly tested ! further
more believe that State regulation and contro
of corporations OF ms own creation should
| whenever possible be preferred to the con
centration Of such power in the hands OF ths
Federal Government
| There has been no such test thus far In
the matter of the anthracite coal mines Tn,
| laws on the statute books have not been
the people against monopoly has not by any
means been exhausted, and, on the Other
hand. the taxing powers Of the National
through the Republican protective tarih In
favor Of the Coal Trust one of the first
remedies at hand. in my Judgment, il re,
vision OF the tarf which would put coal oi
| all kinds on the Tree lis, II this were don1
We would no longer be- at the complete mercy
a tkr..., stnn h.
| safeguard OF the people against the eStortions
of monopoly would be insured
To tarif reform there should be added no,
| present ON the statute books. but the employ
nent Of every other power latent III both the
| National and state Legislatures.
II. however. when these steps are taken
it should appear that the 2 vii still survive:
there should be- no hesitation in adoptns
government ownership as means OF pre-,
venting q recurrence OF the present deplora
BILE situation in PENNSYLVANIA. The PROPOSE
ton practically advanced by some critic
| Of the coal plank in the Democratic plat torn
that the people OF the country are helpless
TO prevent the widespread suffering attend
ant upon a deprivation OF their winter tuc
is abhorrent to common sense and repugnant
TO the fundamental theory that the govern
| ment exists for tho benefit Of the people.
| The attempt Of leading Republicans I,
| confuse the public mind hN intlm9ting th1
| all business corporations are In the "a N,
| class with those trusts against whose eat or
| ton the people rebel has not succeeded anC
| is not likely TO succeed in the light OF in,elli
! gent thought No rational mind will I'm,
| II difficult to distinguish between corpora
| tions which oN" their prosperity in no de
! grcc 10 special governmental fsvors an,
| those which could not long exist We're sIrl
| faVors Withdrawn. In the one case We hav
| that growth which proves not only the intelli
| gence and integrity OF business mana ge
! mon, in the tair aud wide field Of norma
| American enterprise in the other. We hav
, an example OF what may be acCompli she,
hy tho betrayal OF the public interests il
! Legislative and Executive chambers.
| Amid all the Juggling of figures which pro
! cecds from the administrative depar RI ment
| ~ Albany :her" is on" fact that cannot b
| explained away tho fact that the peopl
| arc now called upon to raise by taxation sum
! of money largely in excess OF tho sums y hic
| were required bv the last Democratic ad
| ministration, and that tho Increase OF OK
| penditurrs has approximately doubled tina
| Of population WITHIN the last nine yea r,
| just how larger expenditure of money
| both in actual dollars and cents and IN rrc
| norton TO populat ion. II consistent wit IN
| claim of saving in taNat ion Is somethin
| about which tue taxpayers may rcasOna bl
| demand further enlightenment