Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-12-24
Reform Ia postponed.

controlled Congress will leave the
trusts undisturbed. The tariff bill con-
tinues to protect the trusts and rob the
people.
The fight in the ranks of the Republi-
can party on the trust and tariff issues
has resulted in the triumph of the
Hanna faction. Let well enough
Alone" or do MS little as possible, is to
be the program in Congress, and not
a vigorous reform of abuses which
was promised before election.
1t had been fondly hoped that Presi-
dent Roosevelt would add the weight
of his great office to the side of the
people and urge reform. But to the
great regret of all who believe in
equal rights to all and special privil-
eyes to none" the lukewarm recon-
mendations In the Presidents message
Is a victory for the Do Nothings.
Strange to say, there is no specific rec
ommendation in the whole message for
law to prevent the extortions of the
trusts or the subsidies granted them
by the protective tariff. 1t Is not the
production of the strenuous Roosevelt.
but the glittering generalities of the
anxious politician, intent on pleasing
all factions and especially the strong
est.
If Mr.. Morgan or Mr.. Rockefeller
had been President and had written
the message or decided upon Its con-
tents, 1t could not have been more con-
servative and the intention made more
evident, that no legislation of conse-
quence will be attempted by Congress.
The financial kings Of Wall street.
through their Senatorial and Congress
sional allies, appear to have, by the
force Of numbers, deluded the Presi-
dent into the belief that there is great
danger Of disturbing the business of
the country, II any reform Is even at
tempted. The Presidential chariot has
been hitched to the juggernaut of Wall
street, which rI hlessly ignores the
cries of distress o, those under their
feet. The Presidential recommends
ton for tariff commission has for
weeks been the demand of the princi-
pal Wall street organ, it being well
known that the procrastinatfng work
ings of such body would hinder
rather than accelerate reform. In fact,
President Roosevelt emphasizes this
when he says: The unhurried and I'M
biased report of this commission
would show what changes should be
made in the various schedules"
"Unhurry" is just what Wall street
and the trusts desire. Furthermore,
the President has been led to believe
that reforming the tariff by removing
the protection that allows the trusts
to sell their products cheaper to for
cigners than to our people would be
wholly Ineffective Thus the beef
trust, the coal trust, the steel trust and
the hundred other trusts, as far as the
tariff is concerned, are to have free
rein to continue their eNactions. But
President Roosevelt recommends thai
the duty on anthracite coal be repeal
ed, though he acknowledges that sucf
an amendment would only be of ser
vice in such n crisis as was produced
by the coal strike. He does not recon-
mend that bituminous coal should also
be free, though that would be of great
er benefit in regulating the price of
fuel at all times
Regarding the power of Congress t0
regulate the trusts, the President Is
evidently in an uncertain mind and
makes no specific recommendations or
suggestions. He, however, acknowl-
edges that 1t may be necessary to
amend the contribution to give more
power to Congress.
1t is safe to say that the present
Congress will pass no legislation that
will injuriously affect the trusts or re-
lieve the people from the eXorbitantly
high prices of the necessuries of life
that the protective tariff now allows
the trusts to impose. An attempt will
be made in the next Congress to amend
the antitrust law. and some change
or addition may be accomplished. III
view of the approaching Presidential
election. but that any legislation that
VIII resuiate 'ie trusts III 'he puoiie
interest,". OF l'fe'ei,. 'iie''i i.'''i .N''' Z
ing an the present laws VIII aiioM' Is
hardly possible, unless the whole pow.
err of the administration should, by
some miracle ba thrown IN the side n,
tho neoplc. and this President Roose
volt ovidently does NOT intend TO conn
ten,nca
Thus the issues are Joined betwee,
the Democrats aud the party in now
or and the final battle will be Tough
in the national campaien of 1904. WHO
con Doubt the result? On the one sid,
will he tae great mass of consumers
who find their incomes souandcred I,
fill the pockets of the trust macnates
On the other side is the Republica,
machine, with its Wall street allies
The machine l.; discredited in som,
States even by the voters of the part,
it represents, and would be discarded